Beyond Their Control
by MauraIslesJr
Summary: Her first day at Grey Sloan wasn't exactly the most ideal situation, but Carina DeLuca made it work with the help of a beautiful blonde. Carina DeLuca/Arizona Robbins
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a couple months since I published another chapter/story. I'm officially finished with the other Carizona story that I wrote and now I am onto this one. I've been in the midst of writing this for the last 5 months now and I'm only on chapter 3. I'm trying to write longer chapters as well because I won't come out with new ones for a while since I'm back at school. I really hope you like this and I look forward to reading what everyone thinks! Don't forget to leave a comment and follow the story!**

**XOXO - K**

_Shit._ Carina thought to herself. _This cannot be happening today._

She looked down at the red dot on her underwear, something that she wasn't expecting until tomorrow. She grabbed her purse and searched every centimeter of it for a tampon. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find one.

_Come on Carina! You're an OBGYN for crying out loud. You're supposed to be handy with these things. _She thought to herself again. She calmed herself down by doing what everyone women did when they weren't prepared for their time of the month - folded a crap ton of toilet paper and used it as a sad substitute for a pad.

Just as she was about to get up from the toilet in shame, she heard someone come in to the bathroom stall next to her on her right. She looked down at the toilet paper strategically placed on her underwear and looked over to her right side, as if she could see the woman next to her and debated on whether or not she should ask one of the most embarrassing questions known to mankind.

After what seemed like forever, Carina finally had the guts to ask.

"_Scusami_… But um… It seems as though I have gotten my time of the month and well I uh…" But she couldn't bring herself to continue due to the large amount of embarrassment that she was feeling.

A sudden movement made her eyes shift down towards the floor. To her surprise, she saw a hand sticking out with a tampon right in the center.

"I think this is what you're trying to ask for." The woman said, very warmly. "And don't worry about it. It's happened to me a time or twenty." She said while flushing the toilet and leaving the stall. Carina couldn't help but smile. "Thank you SO much!" She said very gratefully.

She did what she needed to do and left the stall.

"You are a lifesaver!" Carina stated before making eye contact. She was so stunned by the generous woman standing in front of her that she had to do a double take - pausing for a second to see if the woman was actually real. Standing there, so innocently. The way her blonde hair brought out her incredibly blue eyes really sent Carina over the moon. She couldn't remember the last time she saw someone more beautiful. She couldn't remember the last time someone - who she didn't even know - made her feel this way._ It's not about looks_, Carina thought to herself, _it's about personality_.

"It's really no problem at all. It happens to the best of us," The woman said with a smile. _What a pretty smile…_ Carina thought while washing her hands. She noticed the woman's scrubs and lab coat causing her eyebrows to rise.

"You work here, no?" Carina asked reluctantly while grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands. She tossed it away and looked at the beautiful blonde.

"I uh I do, yeah! I work in pediatrics and NICU. Surgery actually. I'm a pediatric/neonatal surgeon." Both pediatrics AND neonatal? This woman was but a dream. Carina gave her a slight nod, not wanting to give information that the woman didn't want to hear, she refrained from talking. Lucky for her, the lady was nice enough to make more conversation.

"What about you? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."

"That's probably because you haven't. Today is my first day and well as you can tell, it's been a little bit of a rough start." Carina said honestly. "I'm Carina," She said reaching her hand out for the woman to shake.

"Robbins - Arizona Robbins," The lovely blonde said while taking her hand. "What department?"

"Gynecology. But I am no surgeon I can tell you that much." She said with a little laugh. She was new to the country and didn't know if her new friend would take it as a joke. Luckily for her, the sound of both their laughter filled the bathroom.

"What hospital are you coming from?" Arizona said, making even more conversation than Carina expected.

"Uh not a hospital really but a country." Carina began, "I just moved here a week ago from Italy where I had my own clinic. It was nice working for myself… But I had it for a couple of years and I got bored. I have a sibling here in the states. He introduced me to his boss who's letting me run my study in this hospital. Which is what led me here." _To this bathroom, talking to you._

_"_Oh wow! That's so cool! My roommate is actually from Italy too. But that's another story. Anyways, what are you studying?"

"Orgasms." Carina said, very confidently. "Female orgasms."

Thrown back, Arizona stuttered as her eyes widened, "Oh uh well… That uh that seems very interest-" The sound of Arizona's pager cut her off. She looked down at it and frowned, "Oh darn. Duty calls! Sorry to cut this chat so short! It was very nice meeting you Carina." She said just before she ran out of the bathroom, not giving Carina a chance to say anything back.

Before she knew it, Arizona was out the door.

Carina turned to face the mirror. She smiled at herself. But her head and gaze suddenly shifted to the door that swung open so abruptly. It was her new friend again.

"And uh, welcome to the team." Arizona said with another warm smile. Carina smiled back at her, sending off the same vibes, "_Grazie…_" She replied staring into Arizona's eyes. For a second, they were stuck and couldn't get their eyes off of each other. It wasn't until Arizona's pager went off again did they have to bring contact. "Shoot okay. I really have to go now. I'll see you around?"

"Yes of course!" She spit back out, afraid Arizona would run out again.

"Great! I can't wait to hear more about your research." She said smiling, with just a hint of flirtatiousness. She let the door close, separating the two of the for real this time. Both of them not able to wipe the smug look from their faces.

Carina knew that this woman would be trouble. But she was ready for trouble.

...

Walking through the hallway was more exciting now that Carina had someone to look for. Every corner she turned, she hoped that Dr. Robbins would be on the other side. Accidentally bumping into each other, only for them to have another chat. Sadly for her, this didn't happen. Every day that past, Carina lost hope. She had come to terms with the fact that she may never see the beautiful doctor again.

Feeling like this made her go absolutely crazy - but she refused to show it. She didn't recognize the neurotic person she was becoming in just a matter of days over a woman whom she barely even knew.

She didn't even know if Arizona would be into her in that way. Yes it was 2018 but that doesn't necessarily mean that she would be up to having a relationship with a woman.

Carina was all over the map when it came to relationships. If she felt a connection with someone, she was willing to make it work with them - no matter the gender, or even none gender. But as crazy as it sounded, she felt a real connection with Arizona even though she only spoke with her for a minimum of 5 minutes in the bathroom about nothing remotely serious.

It didn't dawn on her how much time she actually spent thinking about her until she finally heard the sound of her brother calling her name.

"Carina!" Andrew said, about to give up.

Her attention shifted from the CT Scan monitor to her brother sitting right next to her. "Oh, sorry Andrea…" She said, turning her attention back on the monitor. "I forgot you were there…"

"Everything okay?" He brother asked. She could hear the genuine concern in his voice.

"Yeah,_ va tutto bene._ I'm fine." Carina replied, trying to reassure her brother. "What's up?"

"Well, before you zoned off, I was just reminding you about dinner tonight at my place."

Carina suddenly remembered that she did agree to dinner, her head shot up as soon as her it came to her recollection "Ah yes, with your roommate right?"

"_Si_! I think you'll really like her. She's great!"

Carina's right eyebrow rose in suspicion, "Hmmm… Are you sure she's_ just_ a roommate? Nothing more?" She jokingly said.

"Ew no, I don't think of her like that!" He quickly shot it down, "Plus, she doesn't think of me like that either."

"Aw! Don't put yourself down like that." Carina said, barely paying attention anymore. "You'll find someone. There are plenty of fish in the pond… or sea?"

"It's the sea and no. No, I know she doesn't think of me like that because she uh…" With his hands behind his head, he leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table trying to regain her attention.

"Scores for the other team?" Carina tried to finish, proving that her English, although very good, could still use some work - especially on the phrases.

Andrew couldn't help but smirk a little bit, "It's 'plays' and yes, yes she does." Carina could sense a bit of hesitance in his voice. "Andrea, what are you not telling me?" She said, fully aware of the conversation now.

"Carina, I really like her - as a friend, a roommate, a colleague. I really do, she's an amazing person to be around and to live with…" Andrew, trying to not come out with the truth tried to stall, he looked around all over the MRI room before finishing. "So, I just ask you ONE favor. Please please please PLEASE do not involve yourself with her - romantically.

Hearing this made Carina a little upset. Her brother thought she was a tramp. However, he wasn't exactly wrong.

Before Carina came to the US she was involved in quite a few relationships back in Italy. She was a person who wanted to have fun and took every chance she got to do so. Sadly for her, most of the relationships that she was once in, didn't end so smoothly.

Instead of showing how offended she was, she decided to brush it off and tell him the truth.

"Oh Andrea please! I'm here for business! Plus, I am taking a little rest from the whole dating and sex thing." She tried to assure him.

"Oh okay. So this study, on female orgasms, is that helping? Like at all?" He teased her, knowing it would make her annoyed.

"You know what?"

"What?" He snapped back.

"Just get out!" Carina said, barely holding in her laughter.

"Never thought you would ask!" He replied smiling and getting up from his chair. He gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and said, "7 o'clock. US time Carina!" He reminded her before leaving.

In the most monotone voice ever, Carina responded with, "Can't wait," as she shifted her attention back to the CT scan in front of her. However, she found herself thinking about the lovely Arizona Robbins again.

_Ugh! You need to stop!_ She told herself, _You're probably never going to see her again…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my friends! I was going to try and post at the end of every month but I really wanted to get this going! Currently just finished writing chapter 4 (after just a day, my fingers would not stop typing!) and now I am yet to start chapter 5. Can't wait for you guys to read what I have so far! So excited! Don't forget to fave/follow this story as well as review it! I wanna know what you all think. **

**xoxo - K**

It was 7 o'clock on the dot when Carina knocked on the front door to Andrew's house with flowers and a bottle of wine in her hand. Her mother taught her to never enter someone's house empty handed. She left work and headed straight to the store. As much as she would have rather stayed at the hospital and continued to do work, she pushed herself out. It wouldn't hurt to get to know the person living with her brother. Plus, this was an opportunity to meet new people since she was going to be living there for who knows how long.

On the other side of the door, Carina heard a very familiar voice shout, "I got it!"

There she was, standing right in front of her looking just as beautiful as she remembered - if not, more.

"Carina?!" Arizona said in disbelief, "Oh my goodness! Hello!" She welcomed her with open arms. Carina could sense the shock and excitement especially since she felt the same way. They hugged each other and Carina couldn't help but get a whiff of Arizona's hair. Beautiful.

"_You're_ Andrea's roommate? I cannot believe this!"

Arizona couldn't help but giggle, "You call him Andrea?!" She said, in her best imitation of Carina's accent.

"_Si_, it is his given name… Is that not what you call him in the states?"

The eruption of laughter caught Andrew's attention, he knew immediately why Arizona was laughing. "It's Italian!" He yelled from the kitchen as he made his way to the front door to meet his sister. "I see you two have introduced yourselves."

Arizona and Carina looked at each other and looked at Andrew. "Actually," Arizona began looking back at Andrew, "We met before, at the hospital."

"Oh really? Wow, what a small world." He said leaning in for a hug from Carina.

_You have no idea_, Carina thought to herself. Out of all the people to be Andrea's roommate, it had to be the woman that she had an old time crush on_. What luck!_

"Come in! Dinner is ready!" Andrew said directing them to the kitchen and taking the wine and flowers from his sister.

Before she even took a step further in the house, Carina remembered the conversation that she had with Andrew earlier. _Arizona scores for the other team._ Maybe things could work out in her favor after all…

Suddenly aware of her surroundings, Carina caught a whiff of what they were cooking. "It smells amazing in here." She said softly but excitedly.

"Thanks! It's Nona's recipe!"

Carina smiled as she received flashbacks to when they were children and their grandma - Noni - would make them dinner every Sunday night. It brought them together as a family. Carina only remembered positive things. "Oooo that's very exciting! What is it?" She asked curiously.

"Cacciucco!"

Both Arizona and Carina's eyes opened wide, "My favorite!" they both said simultaneously. They both looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh a little.

"That's why I made it!" Andrew grinned, proud that he knew his sister and friend so very well.

Carina was grinning too but for another reason. She couldn't believe the odds of all of this. The first person that she was interested in in almost two years just so happened to be her brothers roommate - who she already promised not to get involved with. In her defense, how was she supposed to know?

"Do you mind if I open that bottle of wine?" Arizona asked, interrupting her from her train of thought.

"Yes, of course! Wine sounds great." Carina's focus suddenly shifted to Andrew who was looking very lost and very confused. "Everything okay?" She asked very concerned.

"Yeah I just forgot where I put my phone? I'm on call tonight and I need it with me in case they ask me to come in... Maybe it's in my room?"

This was the perfect time for Arizona and Carina to have some alone time. "Maybe go check?" She urged, really pushing for him to give the two a minute alone. She took a seat at the dinner table and watched him leave the room,"Yeah I will, I'll be right back." Andrew said as he left to go upstairs.

Just then, Arizona came over with two wine glasses.

"I haven't seen you around lately. How are you liking the hospital?" Arizona set the glasses down in front of them and poured the wine. She watched every step Arizona made while trying not to seem like a creep. "It's really nice! The people, the equipment and just everything else - I'm really liking it here." She said with a smile.

Arizona took a seat right next to her and crossed her legs, "Good! That's so very good."

"It is! Especially since my research, uh how do you say it…. is out of the blue I guess? Here in America at least."

"Oh speaking of which! How's that going?" Arizona sounded genuinely intrigued, which made Carina feel better about the situation. She didn't think anyone would care much for her research in the US. Americans were known to be prude about the human body and its natural desires.

"It's going well actually! You know I was afraid to come here and ask for volunteers. Luckily for me, I've had a decent amount of people come by."

"How does that work?" She scooted forward on her chair, getting closer to Carina. "Like doesn't the scan require you to lay completely still?"

"Si, but I just need the head to be laid still, everything else is free to move as much as it wants - or, needs." She flirtatiously said with a smirk on her face. With lust in her eyes, she looked at Arizona while sipping on her glass of wine.

"Hmm… That's very interesting…" Carina could have sworn she was flirting back with her but she couldn't tell. She decided to take it another step farther, "You know, I said that I had enough participants for my study… But if…you know," Arizona could tell where she was going and quickly interrupted her.

"You know, although I'm very flattered, I think I'm gonna decline this one." Arizona said all flustered.

"Okay, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me." She winked at her and Arizona's body froze. She didn't wanna admit it but she was developing a crush on Carina as well. She couldn't do anything about it though because it was her friends/roommates sister - the situation was too sticky. Luckily for Arizona, Andrew entering the room saved her from having to awkwardly reply. She tried to keep her cool but for some reason, she knew that Carina would eventually break her.

There was something about her, she was naturally seductive. It both intimidated and excited Arizona at the same time. For the first time, she didn't know how to control it.

"Found it!" He said, waving it in the air chest level.

"Great!" Arizona said, shooting up from her seat, "Let's eat!" She glanced down at Carina who was smirking at her. _Wow_, Carina thought to herself, she could sense that Arizona was easily flustered by her. Maybe she was into her after all.

As Arizona set a plate down in front of her, Carina's heart dropped and eyes widened a little. Not because of what was in front of her but because of _who_ was in front of her. There, across the table, was Andrew, her brother. Her brother, who she promised to not make a move on Arizona. In her defense, that was before she even knew that they were roommates.

After not seeing Arizona around for days, Carina really was starting to put the idea of the two of them together behind her. But after only seeing Arizona for a few minutes, Carina instantly felt those feelings again. She instantly knew that this woman was gonna be trouble, but she didn't think she would be _this_ much trouble.

...

"Dinner was amazing, as always Andrew." Arizona said while clearing the table, "I think I've gained a couple pounds since you moved in." The three of them laughed and Arizona snuck a little glance at Carina, smiling over the fact that she was able to put that beautiful smile on that woman's face.

"I think I'm gonna have to agree with Arizona on this one Andrea, it tastes just like Nona's…" Carina said as she reminisced for a little on her childhood. She let out a small sigh, "_Mi manca lei ogni giorno…_"

This was the first time Arizona heard Carina speak in Italian. It gave her goosebumps. If she thought Arizona thought she was sexy before, boy did she find her even sexier now.

"I miss her too." Andrew said, giving a side eye to Arizona.

"Oh," Carina said coming to her sense, "My apologies Arizona, sometimes I forget that I'm not in Italy anymore. It's out of habit." She said, fully engaged and aware of her surroundings.

Arizona found this as the perfect opportunity to show Carina that she was possibly interested in her as well. "Maybe you can teach me," she said with a smirk on her face. Carina sensed what was going on and smirked right back at her. "Most definitely, after you know," She responded and winked at her, just before finishing her second glass of wine.

Arizona felt a chill move throughout her whole body but attempted to hide it for Andrew's sake.

"Carina, _di cosa abbiamo parlato?_" Andrew said, sounding frustrated.

"Oh, _per favore! Sto solo cercando di essere sua amica_" This time, Carina sounded defensive and Arizona could sense it. As if speaking in Italian couldn't make Carina even more sexier, her being defensive made Arizona go absolutely wild. But still, she stayed out of it. Sibling rivalry was something she knew to not engage in.

"_Mi hai promesso!_" He shot back, on the verge of yelling. Anyone in the room could just hear and feel the frustration in his voice.

"Andrea, we're not doing this now." She stood up, as if she was about to leave. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

This was Arizona's queue to leave Andrew alone for a couple seconds to recoup from whatever he just got himself into. "Um, let me show you the way." She said, leading her to the bathroom upstairs to give Andrew extra time to gather himself. "Let's go upstairs, I don't know if I ever restocked the toilet paper down here."

They walked off and Arizona could hear the siblings both let out a sigh at the same time. She didn't want to pry but she also wanted to make sure the two of them were okay.

"Is everything alright?"

"Si, do not worry." Carina said, very dismissive of the situation. Arizona could sense that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, so they both dropped it. When they reached the bathroom, Arizona pointed at it and said, "Here you go."

"Grazie!" Carina said with a smile, as if just minutes earlier didn't exist. "And um, Arizona?"

"What's up?"

"I wasn't joking about you learning Italian." She winked again before closing the door to separate them.

_Oh boy_, Arizona thought, _This woman is pure trouble._

_..._

Here are the translations for when Andrew and Carina are speaking to each other in Italian:

_"mi manca lei ogni giorno_"

(I miss her each day)

"_Carina, di cosa abbiamo parlato?" _

(Carina, what did we talk about?)

_Oh, per favore! _

(Oh, please!)

"_Sto solo cercando di essere sua amica!"_

(I'm just trying to be her friend)

_"Mi hai promesso!"_

(you promised me!)

Thank you to my new friend ChaseAphrodite for these wonderful translations((:


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Last time I posted I think I was finishing up chapter 4. Since then, I've written four full chapters and I cannot wait to post them! Hope you guys enjoy this one! Don't forget to leave a review!**

**xoxo - K**

When Arizona came back downstairs, she saw that all the dishes had been washed and dried. She also saw Andrew putting on his coat by the front door. "Andrew? Is everything okay?"

He held up his phone, "It's Avery. I'm on-call and on his service this week."

Arizona felt relieved, she didn't want Andrew to be mad over a little spat with his sister. "Oh! Well, drive safe. I'll tell Carina."

"Thanks and don't be afraid to kick her out if you want to. I love her but she can be a bit much." Andrew said just before he slipped out. "I did all the dishes and put the leftovers in containers so you can just hang back tonight."

Arizona tried to say thank you but she was a second too late. He was already out the door.

Just behind her, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Where did he go?" Carina asked, just as concerned as Arizona did a couple minutes ago. "Mio dio…" She said as she let out a breath.

"He's fine," Arizona said turning around to look at her, "He's on-call tonight and they needed him at the hospital."

"Oh okay." Carina responded, very relieved. "Well, I guess I'll be on my way." She didn't want to leave but she didn't want to impose.

"Uh," Arizona began but didn't know how to continue. She wanted Carina to stay but she also didn't want to sound needy or pushy especially since it was just their second time meeting. "You don't have to rush," she finally decided to blurt out, "You can stay a little while... only if you want to though, I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you or anything."

Carina smiled, realizing that Arizona maybe liked her back equally as much.

"I don't mind at all."

And so, the night went on. The two beautiful women sat at the kitchen table taking turns telling their stories, their hobbies, finding out things they had in common and all that other getting to know you stuff, nothing too nitty gritty. The both of them thought it was a great night. Arizona had suggested wine. Carina had to cap herself after two glasses in fear she would break her promise to her brother.

Before they knew it, it was almost midnight. It didn't catch either ones attention until Arizona glanced over at her phone.

"Oh wow, it's already almost midnight…" She said, at a volume just slightly higher than a whisper.

"Time just ran behind us."

Arizona began to chuckle, leaving a confused look on Carina's face.

"It's um, the saying is 'flew by us'."

Carina began to laugh with her at the realization that her English phrases did need some more work. "Maybe when I teach you some Italian, you could teach me the English phrases. Lord knows how many times I've already messed up on them today."

They both laughed. Neither of them wanted the night to end, they were both having a really good time talking. It was really nice to be able to talk to each other.

"Well I better be going. I don't wanna keep you up late." Carina didn't wanna prolong her stay and be rude but she also did not want to go. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so at ease with another woman - no strings attached. "I'll see you around?" She said as she grabbed her coat.

"Yes of course! We should grab some coffee sometime together whenever we have free time." They both headed to the door, attempting to take a slow time.

"That sounds like a great idea." She gave Arizona a warm smile, genuinely meaning it.

"Great." Arizona whispered. They finally reached the front door, neither one of them wanting to move any further.

Carina, at a loss for anymore words, finally had no choice but to head out. "Well, I had a lot of fun tonight, Arizona. Honestly, a lot more than I thought I was going to have… Thank you." She put her hand on the doorknob and waited for Arizona to respond.

"You know, me too. I'm glad we both had a good time." She said right before Carina opened the door to leave.

"Me too. I cannot wait to do this again _bella mia_. Goodnight." And that was that. Carina left the house with a smile and couldn't stop smiling until she got back to her hotel. Even when she was lying in bed getting ready to sleep, she couldn't get the thought of seeing Arizona in the morning out of her head. But that wouldn't be for a little while…

Until next time.

...

The next day Carina had spent all morning bouncing between the MRI room and the conference room. She wrapped herself so much into her work that she had forgotten to eat. It was 2 o'clock and her stomach was rumbling - should could hear it through her scrubs. She was grateful the door to the conference room was closed for she feared that anyone from the outside could hear her stomach dance - or so she thought. This was the first time in a couple days where she was able to sit down and actually do work. Lately, she had been too busy thinking about Arizona. Finally seeing her and talking with her for hours the previous night really set her mind at ease. She was able to put her feelings aside for a minute and continued doing that she originally came here for. She was in the groove today and couldn't break it.

Even though she didn't wanna leave her work, she knew it would be best to fuel herself. She turned around in her swirly chair to get up and grab a coffee.

She was very startled to see Arizona standing behind her, right at the door.

"_Mio dio_…" Carina said as she jumped a little, startled.

The two couldn't help but laugh at the little incident.

"I am so sorry, I thought you saw me." Arizona said, completely lying and still laughing a little. The truth was, she had been standing there for at least two minutes mustering up the courage to say something to her. But for some reason, she was at a loss for words and didn't even know how to approach her - so she ended up just standing there, admiring Carina while she was miles deep into her research.

"It's okay, you just startled me is all. But I'm okay." Carina said while putting her hand on her heart.

"Are you sure? I really am sorry." She really meant it. "I just wanted to come down to say hi and see how you were doing with your research!" Arizona let out a yawn - which she had been doing all day from the moment she got to work.

"I'm doing well. But what about you? Tired?"

She could not lie.

"Yeah, I just slept a little later than usual last night." But that was only the half of it. Yes, Carina did leave around midnight. However, after she left, Arizona couldn't stop thinking about her.

There was something about Carina that left her wanting more. After recently being stranded by Eliza, Arizona thought she would take a break from dating for a while. But she couldn't help think of the endless possibilities between her and Carina. Arizona wasn't the type of person who constantly needed to be in a relationship. She could go years without seeing someone - she had done it before. But Carina completely changed the game.

Getting to know her last night didn't even make Arizona feel like she was socializing.

"I was just heading out. How does that cup of coffee we said we would grab sound?" She secretly wanted to punch herself over her fear of sounding so desperate. Carina losing her cool over something so minor never happened before. She didn't know what was going on.

"Sounds great!"

...

As they were walking, Carina couldn't help but pick at Arizona.

"So uh, were you really checking up on me or did you come down to you know? Volunteer for my study?" She smirked, leaving something to the imagination.

Even though she knew Carina was kidding, there was the slight possibility that she was being serious. Chills came down Arizona's back. "No, I was just uh, walking by and I saw you in the conference room and decided to say hello."

"Hmm," Carina said, sounding like she was actually analyzing what Arizona just said, "Sounds like you really do want to be apart of my research." They both chuckled it off but Arizona couldn't help but think, "If only you knew…"

...

The sight of Carina and Arizona laughing together made Andrew happy and then suddenly very uneasy. He was happy that his friend/roommate and his sister were getting along. But he was nervous to see them together. He didn't know what kind of tricks Carina had up her very long sleeve. It's not that he didn't love his sister, it was just that he didn't trust her - especially when it came to anything involving relationships.

When Carina spotted him, she quickly shouted "Andrea! _Vieni qua!_" The duo hadn't seen Andrew since he left last night right after Avery called him in. Time to catch up on what he missed. He walked over there, eager to find out what made them laugh.

"Why didn't I know that you got your ass handed to you by another doctor here?" Carina said, almost laughing.

Andrew found himself oddly relieved by the fact that the two were laughing at that, rather than anything embarrassing from his childhood.

"Ah yeah… A fine time in my life." The three of them laughed at his remark.

Arizona's laughter quickly subsided due to her urge to yawn - again.

"Long day?" Andrew asked.

"Long night actually. We were talking all night and sort of lost track of the time. I ended up going to bed around 2." Arizona admitted but was not ashamed. Just talking about last night quickly brought up the little things she already knew and remembered about Carina. Like how she knew about her starting college earlier, or about the time she was getting her wisdom teeth taken out and accidentally told her parents about the first time she had sex - all thanks to the amnesia.

Hearing this made Andrew even more uneasy than he was before, but he refused to show in.

"Oh? Seems like you two were chatting up a storm last night, huh?"

"Si, just some girl chat. Nothing serious." Carina assured him. Even though he tried his hardest to keep it in, she still knew that he was alarmed - sibling instinct. "_Non ti preoccupare, non è bello in te._" She continued in Italian, leaving Arizona clueless once again.

Disregarding his sister's comment, he continued speaking to her in English.

"I wouldn't worry if you didn't give me a reason to." Afraid he would continue, he decided to walk away. He knew that know was definitely not the time to get into another argument with his sister. "We can talk later." He said with his back facing the two of them.

Carina seemed unbothered by her brothers attitude. Even though Arizona knew that Carina had thick skin, she was still concerned. This was their second argument in less than 24 hours and she still didn't even know what it was about. "Are you okay?"

"Si, he's just a little close minded sometimes." She let out a little sigh, giving up fighting with him. "But forget about him, are you free tonight? I wanted to cook for you."

Thanks for reading!

Translations:

_Non ti preoccupare, non è bello in te_ \- Stop worrying, it's not a good look on you


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! This is my favorite chapter I have written so far (I'm currently on chapter 9) and I hope you like it just as much, if not more! Enjoy((: don't forget to follow and review!**

**xoxo - K**

She had 15 minutes before she was supposed to meet Carina in the front lobby and she was still dressed in her lab coat and scrubs.

Arizona knew it wasn't a date, but that didn't stop her from being nervous about her dinner with Carina. She was sitting in the attending break room and all she could think about was how she was suddenly getting feelings for her roommates sister. She loved Andrew like a brother and didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with him by being in a relationship with his sister.

But she couldn't help it. There was just something about Carina that was so mesmerizing. She knew it sounded corny, but Carina was different. She wasn't like anyone she's ever dated or even been with - and Arizona hadn't even been with her yet. She just knew that what they have, what they could possibly have, would be wonderful.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't even see Richard standing in front of her.

"Everything okay?" He said, bringing her out of her trance.

"What?" Arizona responded, looking up. "Uh yeah. I'm fine!"

Richard knew when Arizona was lying. He decided to call her out on it. "Not only is lying bad for you, but you are bad at lying as well." He took a seat right next to her, wanting her to open up to him.

"Hard case? Missing Sophia?" He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. Facing forward, in the same direction she as in.

"Work is fine. Actually more than just fine. It's going really well. I haven't lost a patient in months. But I've been paged to OB quite a few times this week… And as for Sophia… I'm always missing her. She's like my rock." She admitted, contemplating on whether or not she should really tell him. Arizona knew she could trust him, but she didn't wanna sound dramatic over someone she had just met.

She told him anyway.

"I met this woman… And I like her. Like a lot." She finally let it out and boy did it feel good. She'd been hiding it in since the moment she met her.

Richard could see where she was going with this and decided to finish it for her.

"But you're too nervous to make a move?"

"It's not even that. It's the fact that she's uh…" She didn't wanna say it. She didn't know how to say it without it sounding like basically incest.

"She's what? Straight?" He tried guessing.

"No, I wish." The look on Webber's face was priceless. He was confused as to why Arizona would want such a thing. But he let her continue, nonetheless. "That would make things a lot easier on me. It's just that… She's DeLuca's sister. She's a freaking DeLuca."

"DeLuca? As in Carina DeLuca? The one doing that study on… you know…" He was ashamed to say it. Talking about the female anatomy was normal for him, but talking about the female pleasure of anatomy was not normal. It made him awkward and uncomfortable.

"Orgasms. And yes, she's the one."

Richard sat back in disbelief, "She's a very… interesting person." He attested and was not wrong. She was so interesting and mesmerizing that Arizona couldn't get enough of her - clearly. She kept her eyes on the clock. It was as if time was literally flying. She couldn't stop it and she did not like it. "I know. So if I do end up seeing her, things would just get awkward…And I'm not even sure if she likes me back."

"Likes you back?" He turned even more to face her. "What grade are the two of you in?" He made fun of her a little bit, but Arizona was so anxious that she didn't even notice his attempt at lightening the mood. She kept talking anyway.

"I'm meeting her in about 10 minutes. She offered to cook for me. But I felt bad so I told her that I was cooking."

They both looked at each other and a burst of laughter came over them.

Finally able to breathe from the funny "joke", Richard was able to let out a sarcastic, "I warned her beforehand."

"Apparently you didn't need to. Andrew already told her that I'm horrible at it. So when I offered, she hesitated a little bit and told me it was okay." She wanted to feel embarrassed by her incompetence to cook, but it was true. She couldn't cook and that was a simple fact.

"You do have to admit, he wasn't exactly wrong."

Arizona gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Stop!" She said, half laughing. "I know he isn't." She said, suddenly slipping back into her nerves. "But I don't know why I'm worrying so much if I'm not even in a relationship with her. I don't even know if she's interested in me in that way…"

"Who knows? Maybe a couple weeks from now you guys will be something." He tried bringing up her spirits. He didn't know if it was going to help or make her more of a wreck, he took the chance anyways.

"I just can't believe out of all the people. I mean Richard come on. What are the chances?"

Once again, Richard tried to step in and assist. "You got all of this from being introduced by Andrew?" But it was no help.

"Andrew didn't even introduce us! We met here in the bathroom… The moment we parted ways after we first met, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. And then, the other night when we had dinner the three of us, Andrew had to leave early because he got paged so it was just us for a while… Out of all the people in this whole world…" She wanted to continue but she was afraid of sounding too dramatic. Unfortunately for her, she had surpassed that. It was time for Webber to stop trying to cheer her up and start offering her advice.

"Look, Arizona. I'm going to be honest with you." He cleared his throat, getting ready. "You, out of all the people in this world know that it is beyond our control who we fall in love with. You need to stop beating yourself over it. Yes, this may pose some obstacles for you two. But if you're meant to be, you will be. Stop worrying about the rest. Just worry about if this feels right or not. You don't even know if she has any interest in you either." He realized what he said and instantly wished he could take it back.m "I mean, not that she wouldn't be interested in you-"

Arizona had heard enough.

"No no, you're right." She let out a big sigh. "This is all beyond my control… This really could just be nothing… You know ever since Eliza left I've been a little off my game. Which I hate. I didn't have much of a relationship with her anyways…You know she cried after sex? Talk about uncomfortable." She kept rambling, as if it was buying her time to meet Carina. She didn't want to admit it in front of Webber but even though he was able to knock some sense into her, she was still a little nervous for later.

She was just about to get up to leave when DeLuca busted into the room, basically out of breath.

"DeLuca!" Richard and Arizona shouted in unison. "Is everything okay?" She asked, very concerned. "And why are you panting…"

"OB… Needs you… Now…." It was hard to understand as he was still trying to catch his breath. But Arizona got the gist. "But I'm not OB. I'm pediatrics and fetal surgery. I work on kids and fetuses. Babies aren't fetuses. And aren't you on Avery's service this week? What are you doing with OB?" She reminded him, very frustratedly. It was the fifth time this week that OB had paged her to their service - and she was not happy about it.

"I am… But… I was by OB and the nurses were freaking out because there wasn't an on call doctor so they asked me to find someone. They're extremely short staffed right now. Penny and Sullivan are on vacation and Kim called out sick. The others aren't answering and we need someone now. You're the only the one that has the credentials. My sister is an OB but she doesn't have OB privileges here and Bailey is MIA," He finally regained his breath. "Please… I have ran ALL over this hospital looking for you. They need you."

Arizona wanted to question why she was on the gyno squad but she decided to save it for another time. "Alright." She said as she began to put on her lab coat, "Lead the way."

...

Arizona grabbed a pair of gloves from the cart down the hall and rushed to put them on as she approached the room.

"Let's get this party star-" But she couldn't finish her sentence. The sight of Carina confused her. "Wha…" She couldn't keep her eyes off of her.

She watched as Carina coached the woman in labor. "Just one more Mrs. Turner! You got this!"

Mrs. Turner's grunt sent a piercing scream through the room. Her cry for help worried Arizona. As she was about to head over and comfort her, Carina beat her to the punch. "I know it hurts! I know! But it's just two more minutes of pain for a lifetime of joy and love! Come on, I know you can do it."

It was just the push she needed. The patient let out another scream.

And there she was. Carina held the baby, with the brightest smile on her face. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Turner, you have a beautiful and healthy little baby girl." She lifted up the baby to her parents and handed her off, still smiling just as hard and just as bright. She handed the baby to her parents and asked them, "What is her name?" with a glimmer in her eyes.

The two parents couldn't keep their eyes off of her, "Mia." They said in unison.

"That is a beautiful name." She said to them, still smiling.

Ever since she started her research, she hadn't delivered any babies or taken any patients. This was the first time in two years she was able to share this moment with parents again, and she was reminded of how much joy it brought her. She sat there for a second and just watched the new parents fall in love with their baby girl.

She was so focused on what she had just done that she didn't notice Arizona standing at the doorway with Andrew.

"Looks like everything was handled with care." Arizona said with a very big smile, looking at Andrew. She didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't deny the fact that she was happy Andrew dragged her all the way up to OB. If she hadn't come, she wouldn't have seen Carina in action. It gave her butterflies in her stomach. Arizona wanted nothing more than to walk over to her and give her a big hug - but they weren't at that level yet. So she restrained herself.

"Oh man, I'm being paged again…" Andrew said, looking at his pager, "Thanks for coming up though." And he was off.

The sound of Arizona and Andrew's voice brought Carina back to earth.

"Caio," she said, very softly. She didn't want to disrupt the Turners with her talking, so she got up and headed to Arizona. "I know Andrea called you over but as I was heading out, I saw Dr. Bailey and she asked me to deliver because no one else was available so she granted me temporary OB privileges. I hope that is okay with you…" She seemed genuinely concerned that Arizona would be mad, which worried her a little bit. Did she think that Arizona was a bitch?

"Oh no of course! I'm not an OB, I don't deliver babies."

Carina lightened up. "Oh okay… I just didn't want to overstep." They both headed out the door, giving the couple and their new baby a moment alone together. They planted themself just outside, in case the patient needed them.

"I haven't gotten a chance to deliver a baby since my research started two years ago…" She let it fade, but Arizona knew that she wanted to say more.

Even though she just witnessed most of the delivery, she was curious, "And? How was it?" She really did want to know, she wasn't just asking to be friendly.

"It was, refreshing." She looked up with a sparkle in her eyes. Carina was genuinely happy. "I thought I would lose my touch, but I guess not. It was nice to think about something other than the anatomy of a woman's vagina and their orgasms." Carina was so blunt and Arizona loved it. "Make no mistake, I love my study, that is why I chose it in the first place. But sometimes I forget the root of it all." Carina sounded a little sad, the way she did when she was talking about her grandmother the other night.

"You did great. You handled it the same I would have and you looked like you knew exactly what to do and what to say." For a moment, things were silent between them. Neither of them knew what to say.

"What was the issue anyway?" Arizona asked, "I don't normally get called to OB and Andrew said it was because none of the doctors are here. What about the nurses?" They started to head to the nurses stations so Carina could fill out all the paper work.

"Well Mrs. Turner was demanding an 'actual doctor', one that was an OB. She refused to push until she saw someone 'qualified' to deliver her baby. Her words, not mine." They both laughed it off, understanding how patients can get.

"You know, if you're still up for it, I still would like to cook you dinner tonight." Carina said to her, attempting to refrain from being flirtatious.

"I would like that so very much."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Just a little warning for anyone reading, I may have to take a little break from posting because I am very behind on the chapters. I'm in my second year of college and I'm entering the middle of the term which means it's crunch time! I probably won't have a lot of time to write anything for a little! Just wanted to let you guys know! So please enjoy this chapter((:**

**Don't forget to fave/follow and REVIEW! I wanna know what you guys think((:**

**xoxo - K**

The feeling of Carina's lips on Arizona's was incomparable.

She had fantasized this moment ever since she met her and she could not believe it was actually happening. She was in heaven and nothing could stop her from feeling this way. They had been kissing each other for what seemed like forever and the anticipation was driving them both insane. They both wanted - needed more from each other.

Carina made her way down to Arizona's neck, never taking her tongue off of her while simultaneously backing her up against the wall. Arizona was amazed at how quickly she knew where her soft spot was - her collarbone. Once she reached that area, she carefully bit it, teasing her and boy did it feel amazing. She let out a small gasp that amused Carina. She wanted to see what else made Arizona gasp. So, she snuck her hands underneath Arizona's shirt and explored a little more.

"Is this okay?" Carina asked, wanting to make sure it was okay for her to move on.

Arizona smiled, she thought it was very admirable how Carina wanted confirmation. Instead of verbally saying yes, she resumed kissing her instead - but this time more passionate, even Carina could feel it. Arizona pulled away for just a second, making sure she knew it was okay. "It's more than okay," and right before she continued to kiss her, she took her shirt off. She was now standing there in her bra and pants.

Carina felt overjoyed but suddenly realized that she was wearing too much clothing. She took off her blouse too and resumed kissing her. Any second away from Arizona's lips was too much for her at the moment.

Even when their lips were on each others, they still couldn't stop smiling. They were both in bliss and nothing could take it away. Carina wanted to take charge. She lightly grabbed Arizona's wrists and held them up against the wall, this gave her even more room to step closer, if that was even possible. The wrist grabbing eventually turned into hand holding as she kissed Arizona even deeper with each passing second.

Their bodies were meshed together as one and there was no space in between their warm stomachs. They could feel the heat around them, but they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were with each other in that moment. They couldn't keep their lips off of each other for too long. It was so intense that the two forgot to breathe.

And that's when it happened.

Arizona woke up from her deep sleep and realized that she wasn't breathing. Her dream was so intense that she forgot to breathe in the real world.

Once she caught her breath, she realized that just moments before she was just dreaming. Disappointed by her very realistic dream, she reached over on her nightstand and checked her phone to see the time. The bright light made her squint. Her eyes hadn't adjusted yet at the light made it worse.

_3:28AM_

Just hours ago she was with Carina. Now she's already dreaming about her.

Arizona couldn't get the woman out of her head and it was driving her insane. Everywhere she went she was reminded of Carina in some way.

_This has got to stop._ She thought to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she was ever so flustered by even just thinking about a woman. Carina had so much power in Arizona's mind and she didn't even know why. It partially bothered her, but another part of her thought it was kind of hot.

She put her phone back on her nightstand and attempted to get back to sleep. But when she laid there, all she could think about was Carina.

_Oh my God_. She thought to herself, _This has got to stop!_

_..._

A couple hours later, Arizona was on edge the whole morning. The anticipation of seeing Carina at any given moment of the day at any place in the hospital really made her anxious. Her dream that night didn't make things any better either. She knew Carina, but she didn't know her physically. The constant little flirting thing they did was staring to get to her head and now it was all she could think about when it came to Carina. She didn't know what to do.

Luckily for Arizona, it wasn't impacting her job by any means. But when there was any little free time to think about something other than dying children or babies, she was stuck thinking about Carina. She didn't know how to stop it.

She spent the rest of the morning begging herself to develop an on/off switch to stop thinking about her. She couldn't recall the last time something like this ate up her mind so much. What was this woman doing to her? They haven't even gone on a date. They haven't even kissed!

It was driving her nuts.

During the previous night, nothing had gone wrong. Everything was perfectly fine, just like it had been for the last couple of weeks ever since the two met. But things were getting a little serious and they both could sense it. But neither of them took initiative.

In this typical situation, Carina would be fearless and make the first move. After all, she only had rejection to fear, and even then so, it was none of her concern. However, it was her morals that held her back from saying anything. Carina DeLuca was a woman of many words, but she always made sure to keep them. Her promise to Andrew meant something to her and she was not about to break it. Arizona, on the other hand, was conflicted. She thought she was feeling a connection with Carina, but after every time they parted ways, it just confused her even more. She didn't know what to do or say.

Last night had gone well. Carina came over and made them dinner like she had said and nothing physical happened at all between the two. Except, something intimate did happen. The two opened up to each other more than they had ever opened up to an individual their whole life. It was like they skipped the getting to know you phase and went straight to the nitty gritty of it all.

It was weird for both of them, but it felt right.

Carina told Arizona about her father and how she didn't trust him yet she still loved him. She told her about the divorce and why Andrew lives in the states and she doesn't - some things that she has never told any of her past lovers.

When she was finished with that heartbreaking story, Arizona took her turn. Arizona normally wouldn't tell just anyone about her failed passed, but this felt right. She told Carina because she felt like she could unload - and boy did that feel amazing. Her scars were undone and she was bare. She told her about the plane accident and her leg. She told her about Callie and how her heart was broken and felt broken for so many years. She was very hesitant to tell her about both of those things but made sure to clarify that she was not a bad person. Luckily for Arizona, Carina knew where she was coming from and sympathized with her. Although she couldn't understand the part where she lost a limb, she treated her normally.

Although Arizona wasn't insecure about her leg, she still felt the need to tell Carina anyways just in case. She knew it was random at the time but she still felt the need to tell her anyways.

Arizona normally wouldn't tell just anyone about her failed passed, but this felt right. She told Carina because she felt like she could unload on her - and boy did that feel amazing. Her scars were undone but she didn't mind nor regret it. She was okay with it all.

Carina debated whether or not she should tell her about her own experience back in Italy. At first she reused, but she could see and feel the vulnerability in Arizona's voice. She wasn't crying or anything. She just felt bare, but not embarrassed.

She decided against it.

She didn't want Arizona to think that they were comparing their hardships in life. She decided to save her story for another time, assuming that another intimate time like this would come up again.

"I know I'm not a bad person, but…" She didn't know how to carry on.

"But the guilt still weighs on you." Carina finished, completely understanding where she was coming from. Arizona couldn't tell if she was talking from past experiences or if she just knew what she was thinking and feeling at that moment. Either way, she decided to brush it off. How do you ask someone if they've previously had an affair?

You don't.

So they moved on and spoke about other things, happier things to lighten the mood.

Once again, Arizona had curiously asked about Carina's research. Carina found it very amusing how much she cared, yet didn't want to show it at the same time.

"It's going well I would say. But I have a long ways to go."

This made Arizona very delighted. Just knowing that Carina had no choice but to stay in Seattle for a little while longer made her mind at ease.

"That's so good." She said, barely audible.

"I think so too…" Carina responded.

...

Carina had resumed her research earlier that morning. Today was all about examining the scans and online research. Even though she wasn't moving from her seat, there was still a lot going on. It was another day of nonstop thinking. She knew she was on a role and nothing was going to stop her.

Except for the knock on the door of the conference room.

At first, it didn't catch her attention. She was so involved into her studies that she didn't realize Bailey standing right beside her.

"Dr. DeLuca?" Bailey sounded both concerned and impatient at the same time. "Hello?"

Carina snapped out of her little world.

"Dr. Bailey! Ciao!" Carina said lightly, "Sorry, I just have been so wrapped up into my studies lately that I'm not aware of my surroundings. But please, do come in!" Carina toyed with the idea of asking Bailey if she wanted to participate, but she seemed like the type who wouldn't take it seriously. She went for it anyway.

As Bailey walked over, Carina let it out.

"Tell me, are you here to be a participant? Or to pick my brain?" She saw the look on Bailey's face and quickly regretted it, but she refused to show it, "Either one sounds fun!" She tried to lighten to mood. She was only a little successful.

Bailey couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Either way, she was here for strictly business. She took a seat across from her. Excited for what she had to say.

"Actually, I'm here to offer you a job."


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyo! I am currently working on Chapter 12! But I also am getting nowhere in it. Writer's block sucks! And to add on, I'm now in my final weeks of the semester for college and I haven't been able to work much on it. So, I don't think I'll be able to post for another couple of weeks. **

**Don't forget to follow/fave and REVIEW!**  
**xo - K**

Carina had to take a moment, "A what…" She said, barely over a whisper. She was more prepared to hear Bailey say she was going to participate in the study rather than come work for us.

"A job." Bailey repeated herself. From the look of shock on Carina's face, Bailey had to clarify. "Here, at Grey Sloan."

For a moment, Carina didn't know what to say. She was stunned. Bailey could tell that she was going to need a little convincing, but she was ready.

"At first, I was just going to come here to thank you for your service. But then I realized, we could really use you at this hospital, permanently."

"Dr. Bailey I am very flattered…" She wanted to say yes, "But I um, I might have to sit on it for a couple of days. If that's okay."

"Oh uh of course. Take all the time you need. But uh," Bailey took a pause to get up and close the door to give them some privacy. "Look Carina, I uh," She headed back and took her seat. "I'm not one to beg. Actually, I'm never really one to offer. A couple years ago my interns used to refer to me as 'the Nazi'."

They both chuckled. Carina couldn't deny the fact that she understood why.

"I'm glad you get my point."

"Oh please Dr. Bailey, I've been called way worse." She couldn't believe it. They were bonding over how their colleagues thought they were evil. Things could have been worse.

"Anyways," Bailey continued, still half laughing, "I hope you really do consider the position here. OB is currently understaffed so they keep calling on my surgeons to help. We could really use you here." Carina nodded showing that she understood. She looked away for a second, a little scared to make eye contact with her. But Bailey could still see the look of hesitation on Carina's face.

"Mia Turner." Bailey said, almost as if it was an answer to a question that Carina didn't ask. The confused look on Carina's face proved to Bailey that she needed to keep explaining.

"Her parents came to me yesterday. I guess people see the word chief on your lab coat and just assume that you're the chief of the whole hospital… But that's besides the point, anyways. Her parents came to me and said that you did a really great job with them yesterday. I know that you know the job isn't easy. The way you handled it with care really impresses me. You know in surgery, we're equipped to handle things when they become stressful. If you weren't a surgeon I would've offered the job to you on the spot. But I spoke to Karen Murphy, the chief of OBGYN and we agreed that it would be in this hospitals best interest if you were to work here, permanently."

All this news was so sudden to Carina. She didn't know what to say. She was very flattered that Bailey wanted her on their team. But she didn't know what that would have meant for her career and her home in Italy. She really would have to think this one through.

"And…" Bailey continued, to convince her even more, "We would give you an office so you can continue out your research while maintaining and working with some patients."

Bailey could see the look of contemplation on her face. Although she understood why Carina would want to think about this decision, she hoped she would make the right one. She got up to give her sometime. As she put her hand on the door handle, she had one more thing to say.

"I won't sugar coat it, Carina." Bailey was getting personal now, "I know your research is very out there. But this hospital could really use you and your vivacious personality. OB is hiring right now and I know that you're relatively new here. So just think about it and let me know by tomorrow." Bailey gave her a nod and fixed the lapel of her lab coat.

"See you tomorrow…" She said just before Bailey walked off. She turned back to her work and tried to focus on the things in front of her.

Carina was conflicted. She knew it was a great opportunity that she shouldn't pass up. But what about home? What about Italy?

...

"Bailey did what?" Andrew said in disbelief.

"Offered me a job here and I think I want to take it." Carina said, sounding more sure of herself than she did when she practiced the conversation.

In the moment, Andrew didn't know whether to be happy or concerned. Of course he wanted Carina to stay a little while longer, but he worried for his father back home. He could tell something was stopping her though.

"Penso che dovresti… Carina this is a really great opportunity for you."

"Lo so Andrea…" The hesitation in her voice wasn't very convincing.

"Well, what's stopping you?" He asked, already knowing what she was thinking. Carina knew how to hide her feelings very well. But when it came to her family, she was an open book - especially when it came to Andrew. He knew her best.

"Come on Andrea, you know what's stopping me!" She was getting hostile. She didn't mean to. All this pressure was getting to her head, she didn't know what to think at this point. She placed both her middle fingers on each side of her temples, trying to calm down the headache she knew she was about to get. But he was patient with her. He didn't yell back at her or walk out. He stood there, waiting for her to say something.

Carina could tell Andrew was a little set back by her, "Mi dispiace, I didn't mean to. My head is just spinning…" She said, apologizing. "There's so much to think about and consider." She was just supposed to be in the United States for a couple of months and the thought of living there permanently without any warning beforehand was a lot to think about in just a couple of hours.

He took a step over to her and placed his hand on her forearm trying to calm her down. "I know." He took a look around him and decided that the MRI room was not the place for them to be talking about this important decision. "Why don't you come back to my place and we can talk about it some more okay? I can cook you dinner and we can just talk it out."

His kind heart drove her crazy, but she loved him for it. She missed him and him doing kind things like this did not make her decision anymore easier. Nonetheless, she went anyway.

"Yeah, yeah I think that'll help."

...

It wasn't until Carina sat at the kitchen table did she suddenly remember that Arizona lived there as well. She had been fine all day. She didn't think about her once. Carina couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing. But either way, she remembered now.

"Is Arizona here?" Carina asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

"I don't think so. She was in surgery last time I checked before we left and it didn't seem like she was going to finish any time soon. She was in the middle of a septal myotomy with Pierce. It's a really long and intense surgery. Plus, Arizona is in peds so it really doesn't help the situation." He said, basically rambling to Carina. "It's just us tonight." He said, smiling at her.

A little sad that she wouldn't be seeing Arizona tonight, Carina couldn't help but feel a little relieved by this news. She could talk about this freely with Andrew without any other factors coming in to play.

...

A little while later, after Andrew cooked them dinner and they reminisced on their childhood, they knew they had to talk about the decision Carina was going to make.

Andrew poured the two another cup of wine and they took a seat on opposite sides of the couch.

"So, have you thought about it anymore?" He questioned, a little afraid to ask. He didn't know if she was going to spazz at him again.

"Sí," She said, nodding her head, "I did." She huddled herself on the couch, her knees by her chest. "I want to take it. I want to stay here Andrea. But I just don't know about Papa…" She tilted her head down, starring at her glass of wine, as if it was going to answer all of her questions.

"Lo so Carina, but I just don't think that he should hold you back anymore." He finally said it and was relieved that he did. He would never want to do anything against his dad for several reasons. One being that he was very afraid of him and two being that he was concerned for his dad's well-being.

After the divorce, Carina stayed with her dad and Andrew flew to the US with his mom. For a little while, the roles were reversed and she took care of her father. He didn't do so well and fell into the spell of drinking. There were times when Carina would come home from school and find her father drunk on the couch at 2 in the afternoon. It wasn't a pretty sight. However, years later things started to clear up. He stopped drinking, returned to work and continued to be the successful doctor he once was. Carina was able to go to med school and gained her title as another successful DeLuca. However, just before she began her research, their dad showed signs of mental illness. She didn't know what to do or how to help him. He had his really good days, but they were nothing compared to his bad days. She was able to find him the care that he needed and he had been doing very well since then.

She only decided to expand her research so she could visit Andrew.

Having a drunk father to take care of didn't necessarily make a lot of time for family visits. For the most part, Andrew flew out to Italy to see his sister and his dad. But Carina could never fly out to see their mom, she was too concerned with her dad to even think about another parent. It wasn't out of selfishness, it was just easier to be by her fathers side since she knew him very well.

Before she left for Seattle, she made sure her cousin was able to help out and take care of her father. She listed numbers of doctors, gave her the schedule for his medicine and made sure that he took them. She was set for the two months she designated herself to be in the US. Her study wasn't supposed to take long and two months was really stretching it thin. But she wanted as much time with Andrew as possible. After all, he was technically still in school. She wasn't going to have him come out to visit and waste time practicing. It was just easier this way.

"We should talk to Lucia," Andrew said, waking her up from her train of thought, "Maybe she can have Papa move in with her." This suggestion was just merely false hope. They both knew that their father wouldn't move in with their cousin in a million years. But it was worth trying.

"Andrea I don't know… You and I both know he wouldn't do that… Plus he needs me." Carina said, sounding a little guilty that she thought about herself before her own father.

"I know that. But I also know that he shouldn't be a factor in your decision." He leaned forward, getting a little more intense, "Just think about what this means for you! You're doing research that no one has ever bothered to touch. You, alone, are comparing how different countries across the world uh…" He wanted to refrain from using the word orgasm because it made him uncomfortable talking about this subject in front of her. Even though he knew Carina was a sensual person, he was very much the opposite. "My point is, you get to continue your research here, maintain a stable job on the side and you get to stay here with me." Andrew knew that the last reason wasn't going to bring his point across, but it did make Carina smirk.

"You have built your whole career back home with different technology, different people, different knowledge. It's time to show Seattle who's boss." The smirk on Carina's face turned into a full smile.

Andrew was right, and Carina knew it.

...

Translations

Penso che dovresti: I think you should

Lo so: I know

Mi dispiace: I'm sorry


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello hello! Happy almost New Year! Sorry I haven't posted in forever, life just gets a little busy. I hope you like this one! Please don't forget to fave/follow and REVIEW! Your opinion matters and I would love to hear what you guys have to say! Alright, that's that. I hope you enjoy it and I hope your New Year is everything you hope!**

**xo -K**

"Robbins!" Richard said excitedly from behind. He was walking to the attending room and just so happened to catch her down the hallway. "Leaving early I see?"

She waited for him to catch up to her. "Yes! Gotta go and grab my stuff and them I'm heading home! Surgery ended a little early and I'm done for the night." She was relieved. She couldn't remember the last time she was out at a decent time.

When he finally caught up, they both started walking to the attending room together. They just shared small talk until they got to the room. Richard thought asking her about Carina deserved some privacy.

"Anything new on the other DeLuca?" He asked, just after closing the door to the room.

Arizona laughed, "I was waiting for you to say something." She grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom to change. The waiting was agonizing for Richard. For some reason, he really wanted to be caught up in the latest love fest at the hospital for once.

"I heard that Bailey gave her OB privileges! That's nice!" He yelled through the door, trying to get something out of Arizona.

"You heard right!" She said through the door. Right before she continued her sentence, she opened the door and saw how close Richard was standing to it. "Someone's a little eager?"

She made her way over to the table and started packing all of her stuff in her bag. "To answer your question from before, there is nothing new with Carina. After Andrew called me to OB, we got there and Carina was already on the case. By the time I got there, the baby was already on her way out. Then, after that, we went back to my house and she cooked for me. We had a nice night." She wished she could tell him more but that's really all that happened. Nothing exciting.

"Did you…"

"Tell her that I have feelings for her? No. Like you said, we're not in the elementary school. Things will pan out when they need to." Richard couldn't tell if she was being optimistic or if she gave up hope in herself. Whatever it was, he really wanted the two of them together.

...

"Where would I even stay?" Carina questioned Andrew, seeing as though he had all the answers she was looking for.

"Well you can stay at the hotel for now, but we should probably start looking for places soon." He suggested.

Carina agreed, she knew that that would probably be the best idea for right now.

"Okay… So that's what we'll do." She said, sounding very definite and very confident. "I'll call Lucia in the morning. I'm going to have to go back for the rest of my belongings.

"Okay, sounds like a plan." He said, smiling at her. "If it would be any consolation, I could also be there when you talk to Papa. I know you guys are closer but don't forget, I am the baby of the family." He teased her a little, trying to lighten to mood.

Carina playfully slapped him on the shoulder, "Oh please! Baby doesn't mean the favorite!" They both laughed as they both knew that Andrew was the favorite out of the two of them. Always has been, always will be.

"Oh yeah that's right,,, Except for the fact that you know dad likes me better." He said, continuing to joke around.

He was genuinely happy about this decision. Although he cared for his dad, he really did want Carina to stay with him. He knew that it was going to be the right decision.

"I know these plans aren't permanent Carina," He said her name the Italian way, like he always did when he was younger, "But I'm happy that you're deciding to stay."

The sound of keys entering the doorknob caught both of the DeLuca's attention. They both shifted their head towards the door. For some reason, even though Carina knew Arizona lived there, she still thought it would be someone else walking through that door.

Nevertheless, she clearly thought wrong.

It was the blonde hair that gave it away. Arizona's beautiful blonde locks stood out like none other. Carina remembered the night where they formally met in the house. Just looking at her hair reminded her of the wonderful smell. Carina wondered if her hair still smelt the same.

"Oh, hi guys!" Arizona said after she saw the two of them on the couch. The siblings both waved and smiled at her. She looked at them and could sense they the had just had a difficult and serious conversation. "Everything okay?" She asked, only had regretting it as it was not her business.

Carina and Andrew looked at each other first and then looked back at Arizona, as if they could read each other's minds.

"Sí," Carina said, "Everything is fine. We're just enjoying a glass of wine. Come join us!" Carina said, shifting gears, ready for a light hearted conversation.

"I would love to, but I'm just gonna change first into clothes that don't smell like gross." Arizona said, putting a smile on Andrew and Carina's faces. She left the two to finally change out of her work clothes and into something comfortable.

"Are you gonna tell her?" Andrew asked, curiously.

"What?" Carina said, a little confused.

"Well, I was just wondering since you two are the best of friends." He said teasingly, crossing his finger.

Carina rolled her eyes, "Andrea please. Not this again." She was over it. She was making sure to keep her promise and him teasing her about it did not make it any easier. "I already told you nothing is happening and I just wanted to be friends." She wanted so badly to tell him that she really did like Arizona. But that topic was for another conversation.

"I know," he said, holding his hands in the air, "I'm just stating the facts. But seriously, are you gonna tell Arizona?"

"Tell Arizona what?" The sound of her voice startled the two at first. Neither of them heard her coming down the stairs. Once again, the two looked at each other and then looked back at Arizona.

Even though Andrew opened up his big mouth in the first place, he knew he needed to keep quiet. This was Carina's call. She couldn't avoid the question. Arizona clearly knew they were talking about it and it wasn't fair to her to not know what it was about. Was she going to tell her? Did it matter enough to say anything to her?

"Well uh," Carina began, sort of not knowing where to start, "It's nothing really, just work stuff." She said, trying to cover it up. Carina didn't know why, but she really wanted to tell Arizona alone. She felt like she was going to get a more genuine reaction out of her if it were just the two of them.

"Research going okay?"

Every time someone mentioned Carina's research, Andrew felt awkward. He shifted in his seat and waited for Carina to respond. "Couldn't be better," Carina said, trying to cover up what they were speaking about before. She wanted to joke around with Arizona and tell her that there was still room for her to volunteer, but Andrew was sitting right there. Now was not the time, especially since they were just getting along and he was helping her.

Maybe if they were alone, she would have said something.

Fortunately for her, it was going to seem that way.

Andrew's pager went off.

"Oh my god…" He said annoyingly, he let his head drag back showing that he did not want to leave from where he was.

It was as if Carina's guardian angel was finally looking out for her. She wanted to laugh but she knew it would have been rude. She looked away and smiled instead, hiding her face from the both of them.

"When does it stop?" He asked Arizona, begging for an answer that he wanted to hear. But he knew he wasn't gonna get it.

"You know it's only just begun, right?" She responded, very seriously.

"Yay." Andrew said, very monotone. He got up from his seat and headed for the door. He grabbed his coat and rushed out. "Bye guys! Have a goodnight." He said, just before leaving the two of them alone together again.

A part of Arizona was relieved that he was leaving, but the other part didn't want him to go. She was nervous to be alone with Carina. She didn't know why, but she still was. Then again, she knew that the greatest times she's had with Carina lately were spent with just the two of them. Nonetheless, she spoke to her anyway, taking a seat where Andrew was before.

"So, how was your day?" Carina asked, trying to divert her.

"Oh you know, patient after patient. I'm just glad I'm home now."

"Andrea said you were in surgery, no?" She kept trying to make busy talk, hoping she could avoid Arizona asking her if she was okay again.

"Yeah I was. It went well actually. It was supposed to be about an eight hour surgery but it ended up being more around six." Arizona was proud of herself and wasn't afraid to show it. "Oh wow, good for you!" Carina said, very impressed.

"How was yours? Anything exciting going on?"

If only you knew, Carina thought. Arizona built the perfect gateway for Carina to tell her, but she couldn't. She smiled, "Just the usual stuff with my research. I found a couple more volunteers so it's been really helping."

"Oh that's so good!" Now it was Arizona's turn to be impressed. "You know I just so happened to be by OB and I ran into the Turners just before they were discharged." She couldn't wait to share this little moment with Carina.

"Oh? That's nice. How are they doing?

"They are amazing! Baby Harper is doing great…" Carina's face fell, she was starring at the glass of wine sitting in front of her. "Once again, you did a great job for not having delivered a baby for the past couple of years." Arizona said, trying to cheer her up.

"Everything okay? Did I say something wrong?" Arizona asked once again. The look on her face implied that she knew that something was wrong. Even though she didn't want to pry into Carina's business, she wanted to make sure that she was genuinely fine, rather than putting up an act.

She smiled at her, blissed by the fact that Arizona really cared about her.

Carina didn't know whether or not she should tell her now that it was just the two of them.

"Oh no Arizona, you did nothing wrong. It was just some family stuff Andrea and I had to go over." She told her, blowing over the whole topic but not necessarily lying to her. They really were going over some family stuff earlier.

"Oh okay," Arizona lightened up, trying not to pry even more into the situation. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay." She took this as the perfect opportunity to let Carina know that she was there for her.

"I know we've only known each other for a couple weeks now, but I just want you to know that I really am here for you." She moved a little closer to Carina and put her hand on her hand, resting on the pillow in front, and held it. "Whatever you need."

The softness in her voice made Carina know she really meant it.

Maybe they were just going to be friends after all.

"But I don't wanna force you." She said, trying to make sure there was no pressure between the two of them.

Carina gave her a smile and held onto her hand, "Thank you," She said, "I really appreciate it." And she meant it. She couldn't remember the last time anyone seemed to actually care for her that wasn't related to her. It felt nice to be cared about by someone for once. Part of the reason why she even started her research was because she wanted to block herself from the world - from the people of the world. After her second very serious relationship she was done. She had to start doing something meaningful and interesting that didn't involve another person. She was tired of being alone, so she dove herself into research and had one night stands whenever she had the urge.

She decided to open up. It was time.

"Bailey offered me a job." Carina said, shyly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello hello! I decided I'm gonna upload 2 chapters today because I'm currently working on chapter 13 right now and just want to get all of them out there for you to read... If anyone does even read these things. Anyways. You know what to do - fave/follow and COMMENT!**

**xo - K **

"Bailey did what?" Arizona said in the same amount of disbelief that Andrew felt just hours before. It was as if Carina was getting a flashback to when she told him that same day. In Arizona's defense, it really caught her off guard. She was expecting Carina to just brush it off. She didn't think that Carina trusted her enough like that.

"She offered me a job here, at the hospital." Carina couldn't keep her eyes off of her. She wanted to see her reaction.

"That's amazing!" She exclaimed, she really was genuinely excited, "In OB?"

"Sí, she offered me a spot in the department and told me that I could still continue out my research here." She wanted to sound excited, but it wasn't working out. Arizona could tell that this was a catch 22 and that something was wrong with this situation.

She scrambled her brain and finally realized that the reason she didn't want to go was because of her dad. But like she said before, she didn't want to pry. She waited for Carina to tell her what was wrong herself.

"Are you gonna take it?" Arizona said, hoping that the answer is yes.

"Andrea and I just spoke about it for the last couple of hours…" Carina dragged this sentence out, as if she scared to tell her the truth. Arizona leaned a tad forward, anxious to hear what she had to say.

"I have to talk to my father and cousins back home in Italy first but… I'm gonna take it. I'm staying." A part of her wanted to look away, afraid to see what she was going to say. But another part could not look away. Her eyes were fixed on Arizona and they weren't leaving anytime soon.

"Oh my gosh!" She got up from her spot to give Carina a hug. "Congratulations!" She whispered close to her ear.

The second that their bodies formed together, neither of them wanted to let go. Carina got another whiff of Arizona's hair and it really was better than she had remembered. If it were up to her, she would stay like this forever - but if she didn't have to keep that promise with Andrew, she would've pulled away and tried to kiss Arizona.

But she couldn't.

Carina was a woman of her word.

"I'm so happy for you!" Arizona said as she let go. "We're colleagues now! How exciting!" Instead of returning to her spot on the couch, she decided to stay a little closer to Carina, hoping that something would happen.

Carina noticed this and shifted in her spot. She wanted to remove any possibilities out of the picture just incase something did happen between the two of them - even though she really wanted it.

"Yeah it is! I just have to clear up some stuff back in Italy before I permanently stay here."

It suddenly dawned on Arizona that Carina had been staying at a hotel for the past two weeks. Not only was that going to wrack up one hell of a bill, it was just inconvenient.

"Are you still staying at the hotel?" Arizona asked.

"Sí, just for a little until I find my own place at least. It's gonna be a little complicated at first but I think it'll be okay. I have Andrea to help me."

"You know, if you ever need anything, my offer for being here for you stands emotionally and physically as well." It sounded better in her head. She didn't know how to recover from it. "Uh I mean…."

Carina found it funny how Arizona was able to fluster herself. "I understand Arizona and thank you. I will take that into consideration." She said, still laughing. She wanted to tease her. However, she resisted because she didn't think it was a good time. But little did she know that Arizona meant it in every way possible. However, Arizona knew that just sleeping together wouldn't have been the best option. She was already emotionally attached. Just having sex wouldn't cut it with her.

Arizona laughed along because she realized how ridiculous she actually did sound. "Good…" She began, "I'm always happy and willing to help." She leaned back, giving her a soft smile.

...

The night ended with Carina. Now, Arizona was all by her lonesome - spending the rest of the night thinking about the lovely DeLuca. She replayed the whole night in her head. She suddenly realized that the reason why they kept calling her to OB was because it was understaffed - that's where Carina comes in.

What if they page me to OB and I get to see Carina more… She thought to herself, as if she didn't see Carina enough already. Being in constant contact with her put her on the edge. She could only think of all the dumb ways she was going to mess it up with her, like the dumb comment she made earlier.

She beat herself up over that comment she made about helping her physically. How embarrassing!

Arizona couldn't remember the last time a woman made her feel so nervous, beautiful, powerful and sexy all at the same time. She was the woman Arizona wanted to be with but she didn't know how to even begin.

She laid in her bed, restless. She felt helpless - but not in a sad way. She just wanted so badly for some sort of indication or sign that Carina wasn't going to dismiss her feelings for her. She didn't know what to do.

Before she went to bed, she texted Richard out of anxiety - and because she wanted someone's opinion on what happened that night. Arizona only half expected him to reply. She sent the text to him at midnight and wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't answer. While she laid in bed just constantly thinking of Carina, she kind of forgot about Webber.

Alas, she got the text message she had been waiting hours for.

The quick brightness of her phone screen hurt her eyes. She wasn't used to the light. She held her phone close to her face and squinted as she read,

4:36am

Let's talk in person. It's more fun that way. See you soon.

\- Richard

_Holy crap!_ She thought to herself, _4:30?! _

She had to be at work in 4 hours. But now that she knew she was able to talk to her outlet in a little, it put her mind at ease. She finally fell asleep - even if it was just for a couple hours.

...

Arizona was eager to get into work despite having only slept a couple of hours. She couldn't wait to hear what Richard had to say to her about Carina.

She did her normal morning shift routine and ventured to find Webber. When she didn't find him standing in line at his normal coffee cart stand, she instantly thought he was trying to ignore her. She only half gave up her hope.

She decided that the mini therapy session could wait. She had work to do.

Arizona stood at the nurses station in front of the schedule board doing her paper work and minding her own business. She was just starting to get into the groove of her when the sound of his voice frightened her.

"Good morning Dr. Robbins," Webber said, right behind her.

"Oh goodness gracious…" She jumped.

"Paranoid much?" He said, leaning against the nurses station, facing her.

"Sorry, I just haven't been getting sleep so I'm a little… on edge."

"Does this also have to do with you know who?" Even though it was very obvious, he guessed correctly. But this was not the place the be discussing Arizona's lady business. She scanned the area and decided that they needed to go somewhere else, somewhere more private so Andrew or Carina couldn't hear what she had to say.

She closed her charts and led him to the attending room.

Once they reached their safe space, Arizona finally let it out.

"Bailey offered her a job here, in this city, in this hospital, in my life." She said, needing to catch a breath right afterwards.

"Bailey did what?"

="That was my reaction too!" She was a little relieved that Webber reacted the same way as she did. The thought of Bailey offering a job to someone that wasn't on her service nor had an interview was very bizarre to the both of them. That wasn't the Miranda Bailey that they knew.

"Is she gonna take it?" He asked her, really hoping that the answer was a yes.

"She is…"

"Well that's good news!" He looked at her and could see the contemplation in her face, "Isn't it good news?" He asked her.

"It is… It is, I'm just utterly confused!" She sank herself into the couch and hugged a pillow. Richard took a seat right next to her.

But Richard couldn't understand why. "What's there to be confused about? It's a good thing she's working here. OB needs the help and this gives you time to figure out things with her without having to rush it. It's more permanent now." He was right. She should be relieved that Carina was staying because this gave her more of an excuse to go for it with her. Now that Arizona knew she was staying for sure, they wouldn't have to worry about her going back to Italy once her research was over.

"I hate when you're right." She admitted, making him chuckle.

"Just a curious question, where has she been staying all this time?"

"At some hotel I think. I'm not sure. But all I know is is that she's starting to house hunt soon because she can't live in a hotel for who knows how long. Apart of me is afraid that once she finds a house, she'll ask Andrew to move in with her. I know that's her brother and they're blood but I really like him living in my home - especially since he cooks for me. He's just really good company to have as well. It's gonna sound weird but I could really see me and him being really good friends."

It was right there. The opportunity stuck out like a sore thumb. It was perfect.

"Well why don't you just ask her to move in?"

...

There she was, just reviewing her scans in the MRI room. She was so mesmerizing even when she wasn't doing much. Arizona could stand there and look at her for hours - that's how beautiful Carina was to her. Nonetheless, she didn't want to seem like a creep.

She knocked on the door this time instead of waiting for her to see her. She didn't want another scare incident like the other day.

Carina looked up from her computer and looked at the door.

"Arizona! Ciao! Please, come in!" She greeted her, very pleased to see her. "Close the door." She said, wanting some privacy for the both of them.

Arizona walked over to her and took a seat right next to her.

"What a lovely surprise! Tell me, what's on your mind?" They both sat there, smiling at each other like they were two kids who had a crush on each other in elementary school. "I thought I would just come by, say hello, maybe see how your research is going." Arizona said, a little nervous for what she was really there for in the first place.

"See how my research is going? Are you here to observe or participate?" Carina loved doing this to her. She thought it was so funny watching Arizona blush at the thought of participating in her study.

"Wha- no. No. I just, umm…" The struggle to get out her words was really weighing down on her. She didn't know how to bring it up. So she just let it out "You can stay at my house." Arizona let out. It was impulsive. She didn't mean to say it so abruptly, but it came out that way. Afraid she sounded a little desperate, she retaliated. "In the mean time, at least. You know, so you're not in the hotel for who knows how long. If you want to I mean. Don't feel like I'm forcing you or anything because I-I uh I'm not. It's just a thought!"

Carina's eyes were wide. Out of all the things that happened the last few days, she was expecting this one the least. She didn't know what to say.

Arizona regained her calm and tried to talk again, hoping the eagerness she was feeling would subside soon. "Just know," she said as she put her hand on Carina's shoulder, "You are more than welcome here." Her hand lingered there for a second and Carina could feel the warmth from her touch. She didn't want her to let go.

But she did.

Only because she knew if it stayed there any longer, she would have tried to make a move.

"Just think about it!" Arizona said, "No pressure."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9! **

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**thanks guys!**

After Arizona had left, Carina couldn't stop thinking about her endless options in Seattle. She was very motivated to figure things out. The only thing about this whole ordeal with Arizona was whether or not she should talk about it with Andrew. In short, Carina knew the right thing to do was discuss this move with Andrea. However, she also knew that technically, his opinion didn't matter since he didn't own the house.

She had one decision to make but she had no one to talk it over with.

She knew she wasn't getting anymore work done for today so she decided to go for a little walk. Her favorite thing to do whenever she was frustrated or stressed out back in Italy was to walk through OB and visit the babies. Since she was a doctor, she was able to go in and actually hold them. She could do it for hours if it weren't for patients in need or paperwork to be finished.

So that's what she decided to do.

She took a little stroll up to OB and looked at all the babies. She walked around, looking for one specific baby.

Mia Turner.

She saw her and instantly smiled, so happy to be reunited with her first baby in the United States. "Ciao bella…" She whispered as she picked her up. She headed towards the corner of the room and sat in the rocking chair with Mia in her arms. She sat and actually spoke to her as if Mia could understand.

It wasn't just the fact that Mia was her first baby in the United States, it was also the fact that all this chaos was happening because of her. If it weren't for Baby Mia, Carina probably wouldn't be in this situation. She couldn't help but think whether it was a good or a bad thing.

Only one way to find out.

She told her the whole story with Arizona, almost every little detail. She wanted to shy away from the sexual tension stuff because she didn't think it would be appropriate for a baby to hear. Even though she knew she couldn't understand, she still wanted to keep the story G rated.

"So, I'm stuck because I promised Andrea I wouldn't do anything… I know this sounds childish, I even feel a little childish, but I really like her…" She looked down into her newborn ocean blue eyes. They reminded her of Arizona's, "I'm sure you'll feel that way about someone when you're my age too…" She took a little pause, looking at every detail on little Mia. She was jealous of her - a baby. Life, right now, was so easy for her. She didn't have to make any decisions that could alter her life. She didn't have to worry about promises with family.

She didn't have to worry and boy was that a nice feeling to have.

"There's just something about her that I can't explain. I want to know her more… She is magical, Mia… Almost as magical as you." She gave her a bright smile as Mia cooed, almost as if she understood what Carina was saying.

Carina didn't realize how much she had on her load until she looked at the clock. She lost track of time and realized she had been holding Mia for almost an hour. It was time to put her back even though she didn't want to.

"Thank you for listening little one." She said to her, putting her down back in her little basket. "Che Did ti benedica e ti protegga…"

As she made her way out of the room, she knew what she had to do next.

She could feel the nerves in her stomach as she took out her phone to make a call. It was time.

...

"I called Papa and Lucia," Carina said, excited to tell Andrew the news.

"And? What'd they say?"

"Well, it took a lot of convincing at first but it looks like I'm going to be staying here!" Carina said, lunging to give Andrew a hug. She was so happy that things ended up working out. One obstacle down, just one more to go. "That's fantastic!" He said loudly, shocking her eardrum. "We should celebrate!" He suggested. "Let's go back to my place."

This reminded her of Arizona. She had to tell him now. She didn't know how to break it to Andrew without being awkward. She also didn't wanna save it for later, incase Arizona would be home. So she decided to tell him right there in the MRI room. He had just turned his back to her, about to walk out.

"L'Arizona mi ha chiesto di vivere insieme." She blurted it out in Italian. There was no other way she was going to say it if she didn't just let it out in that moment. She felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders - but she was still nervous for his reaction. Carina knew her brother very well, but this situation specifically was kind of tricky. She didn't know what he was thinking.

He paused and turned to face her in disbelief. "Ma che?" He asked, as if she was going to somehow change her answer. She didn't know how to answer that. She knew it was a rhetorical question and he just needed time to think but she didn't wanna stand there in silence either. "I know, I was shocked too." She shared with him, being completely honest. "It wouldn't be permanent. Just until I get settled and can find something here."

Andrew didn't know how to feel. Everything was happening so fast but he couldn't let it get to him. Deep down, he knew that this whole thing wasn't about him. He knew that asking Carina to stay away from Arizona was a bit much. He couldn't help it though.

He was aware of his sisters history with her past lovers and just wanted to save Arizona from that ache - and save himself from hearing about it. Carina wasn't the best at relationships and he knew how things were going to end between the two before they even began. He didn't wanna have to choose sides even though he knew the right thing would to be one Carina's.

Would it be so bad?

He took a seat, trying to gather up all his scattered thoughts. She mirrored him and kept looking at him, attempting to see what he was thinking. She didn't know how to react nor what to say. She could only sit there and hope that he would say something soon.

Finally, he came to his senses. "I think you should."

"You do?" Carina said, barely audible. She couldn't believe that he actually was okay with it. "Are you sure about this?"

"All the time we lost Carina, maybe we can make up for all the lost time."

Carina knew that just her being in the US was enough for them to spend time together - but she let him keep going with it anyway, just to see where he was getting at. She also wanted to mention the promise they made, but she thought it was too soon. She didn't want him thinking that she was only considering staying for Arizona. Even though it was a little bit of a factor, she still wanted to keep that part a secret.

"So you're okay with this?" She wanted to reconfirm, afraid he was going to suddenly take his decision back.

"I am." He said, letting out a really big breath he didn't he was holding. "I think this will be good, for the both of us."

"It will be. Plus, I get to wake up and see a beautiful face everyday." She winked at him, slyly hinting that she was not talking about him.

Andrew didn't know if she was talking about him or Arizona. Either way, he wasn't going to ask. Now wasn't the time to fight, it was time to celebrate.

Carina wasn't going anywhere.

...

Before the two left to go celebrate on Carina's decision to stay, she decided to stop by and tell Bailey the good news - just to make it official and get it over with. She didn't want to go alone so she dragged Andrew there with her, because of her nerves. Even though she was going to tell Bailey about her exciting decision, she was still a little nervous. A part of her was afraid she was going to revoke her offer.

Carina knew that wasn't going to happen, but she still worried about it anyways.

The closer they got to Bailey's office, the more nervous Carina was. As they walked farther down the hall, she could see her sitting behind a load of paperwork, looking as busy as ever. She didn't want to bother her but Carina knew that it was now or never.

They reached the door to Bailey's office and Carina froze right in front of it, causing Andrew to knock right into her back side.

"Jesus Carina," he said a little frustrated, "Just go in. It's not like you're telling her bad news."

She knew that. Yet, she was still nervous. "Lo so, but she's a VERY intimidating woman."

Andrew broke out in laughter. He couldn't remember the last time someone intimidated Carina. It only happened once in a blue moon. The fierce, independent, and fearless sister he knew was suddenly a baby. It was funny seeing her like this.

"Come on Carina! Just go tell her!" He said, contemplating on pushing her into the office just so she would move. "I don't see why you're so scared."

There it was - the word that drove Carina crazy. Out of all the things in the world, she hated being called scared the most. It was a close second to being called incompetent. She refused to admit she was scared. Growing up and taking care of her drunken father taught her that living a life in fear wasn't living your life at all. She remembered constantly telling herself that when she was younger.

"I'm not scared! I'm just…" She didn't want to finish the sentence because she was scared. She hated when Andrew was right.

"So then what are you waiting for?"

The silence answered his question. He decided to push her into the office, if she wasn't going to do it he sure as hell was.

The abrupt motion brought Bailey's attention to the door. "Dr. DeLuca," she greeted her, "Nice to see you." She stuck her hand out in the direction of the chair in front of her. "Please, take a seat."

Carina eased up a little bit, things were off to a good start and she was feeling better about things.

"So tell me, have you thought about my offer?" Bailey asked, seeming very intrigued. Her day was crap and she was looking forward to some good news.

"Yes I have. I think it's time to start a new chapter in my life and finally settle down." She began, "I love this hospital and all it has to offer." They both smiled at each other, happy about her decision.

"Well that's great Carina, but I'm gonna have to hear you say it - for legal purposes."

"Oh uh," Carina stuttered, "I accept your job offer." Carina said, a little scared she was going to butcher it. "I'm here to stay." She added, wanting Bailey to know that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order." Bailey said, getting up from her seat. She made her way around to Carina and stuck out her hand. "Congratulations Dr. DeLuca. Grey Sloan is very luck to have you." Carina stuck out her hand as well and shook it.

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey. I'm looking forward to it."

It was official. Carina DeLuca was now a permanent employee at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

There was no going back.

...

Translations

_Che Did ti benedica e ti protegga: _May God bless and protect you

_L'Arizona mi ha chiesto di vivere insieme: _Arizona asked me to move in


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi friends! I've run out of things to say lol but I hope you like this one! Don't forget to follow/fave and REVIEW!**

**Enjoy!**

**xo - K**

Carina was ready to take on the world - or at least Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Things were going really well for Carina. She had just moved in with Andrew and Arizona, her research was really coming along and it was her first day as an official employee at the hospital. She walked in with such confidence and strife, it was very amusing to watch. Arizona was standing at the coffee cart just outside the entrance when she eyed the beautiful Italian walking by. She wanted to say hello but instead was so mesmerized by her beauty that she froze.

She watched Carina as she walked into the hospital and disappeared behind the doors.

Arizona failed to realize how intense her stare was until Richard walked up behind her.

"Be careful there," He said, scaring her a little, "You don't wanna get drool in your coffee. It's not appetizing." He was teasing her. Arizona just made it so easy the last couple of days that Richard couldn't resist the opportunity.

"Oh please," Arizona said, trying to brush it off, "I was not drooling." She tried coming up with an excuse but there wasn't any. He took a step next to her and the two headed in to start their days.

"She moved in a couple days ago."

"Really?" He said, kind of in shock. He was more surprised that Arizona didn't tell him sooner. "How'd it go?"

"I don't know. Good I guess? I've been working pretty late the last couple of nights so I'm not sure." She said before taking a sip of her coffee. She didn't want to admit it was on purpose, but Richard was not gonna let her get away with it.

"Today's her first day you know."

"Oh that's nice. Do you anticipate working with her at all?" He asked, very curious.

"I really hope not." She said, honestly. She decided to continue with her thought, afraid she was sounding a bit rude. "It's nothing personal. I just have other things to do than stick my hand up ladies vaginas. I don't like to mix business with pleasure." She stated, as a matter of factly.

Webber refrained from calling her out on the irony. Arizona didn't like mixing business with pleasure but she sure did the occasional mingle. Instead, Richard just nodded and agreed with her. "I see." He said, just before taking a sip from his coffee. "You know how the world works. Just you wait and see, this hospital will somehow bring you two together on a case whether you like it or not."

Arizona froze in her steps. He was right.

...

Her first day on the job was nothing short of boring. She got dressed in the normal pink scrubs and waited for something to happen. Carina decided that today would be all about patients. However, being new to the hospital, she realized that she wouldn't get many of those on the first day. Sure, there were many pregnant women roaming around the streets of Seattle, but none found their way to Carina.

To pass the time, she decided to do more of her research.

Carina was in the midst of looking at her scans when she finally got paged back to OB. "Yes!" She said to herself with her pager in her hand. "Finally!" She shot up and headed straight for the elevator.

She got into the empty elevator and pressed the button to close the door. The sudden familiar scream of "WAIT!" followed by the foot on the door caused her to look up.

"Arizona!" She greeted her, very excited to see her.

Even though Carina had already moved in about 3 days prior, she had barely seen Arizona. She assumed it was because Arizona wanted to give her and Andrew some time together - but she wasn't sure. She couldn't tell. Nonetheless, she brushed it off thinking nothing of it.

"Hello," Arizona said softly as the elevator doors closed behind her, "Look at you in in the pink. I like it." She was impressed. Arizona didn't think anyone could pull off pink scrubs until she saw Carina in them. She was secretly glad she proved her wrong.

"Thank you!" Carina responded, very flattered. "They're just like the ones I used to wear in Italy." A part of her was expecting to be upset about being homesick. But she wasn't. Carina was perfectly fine with the transition.

"I do have to say, you pull them off very nicely." Carina was not an extremely feminine woman but the pink scrubs really did fit her persona. She was practically glowing in them and Arizona couldn't stop looking at her. She seemed happy - and Arizona was happy for her.

"Thank you, it's one of my favorite colors you know."

"Oh yeah? What's your other favorite color?" Arizona said, intrigued to get to know her more.

Carina couldn't resist it anymore She had to give Arizona a little tease. "Blue - like the soft blue color that's in your eyes." Carina whispered, just inches away from Arizona's ear. Suddenly, Arizona stood there, frozen with chills running up and down her spine. "I could get lost in them for hours…"

She was about to respond when the elevator doors propped open, revealing Webber on the other side. Carina slowly moved back to her spot, smirking.

"Good afternoon ladies." He greeted them. Arizona was both embarrassed and thrilled at the same time. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, making them bright red.

"Good afternoon." Carina responded as she slipped out. "Caio…" She said and gave Arizona a wink just right before the doors closed to separate the three. She finally regained movement in her body and stepped aside - moving farther away from Webber.

"Don't ask." Arizona said, keeping her eyes straight forward while pointing her finger at him.

"I wasn't going to." He teased, lifting his eyebrows. "But I do have to say," Arizona rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself for not covering that area as well. "Things are moving quite swiftly with the two of you." He couldn't resist a good tease.

The elevator ride seemed to take longer than it usually should. Arizona stood there impatiently waiting for the doors to just open. "I'm just very confused by that woman." She finally let out - almost spazzing a little bit. "I don't like being confused."

It was a feeling that Webber understood all too well. He remembered when he was younger and had a fling with Elise Grey. Boy what a time.

"Sometimes, you just have to let the rollercoaster ride itself out and see where it takes you."

"But that's the thing. There is no rollercoaster! One moment I feel it all at once with her and then another it's like I'm just making things up in my head." She finally blurted it out, searching for air after her last word. It was was like a weight lifted from her shoulders. "I can't read her." She said, sounding more than bothered by it. Arizona prided herself on being able to read people well - but Carina was just not one of those people.

The elevator doors finally opened and she swiftly moved out - as if it was going to help her forget about the last five minutes of her life. Richard quickly followed behind. "Well why don't you just ask her? Be upfront?"

Although this seemed to be easy, it was a lot harder than he anticipated.

"I can't do that because what if I am actually just making this stuff up in my head? Then it just gets really awkward and I don't want that."

Richard didn't want to get her hopes up but what he just witnessed moments before he got into the elevator was not made up in Arizona's mind. There was clearly something there that Arizona was afraid to unveil. He decided to not say anything about it just in case.

The sudden sound of a pager going off was an indication that this conversation would have to be continued at another time.

"Me or you?" Webber asked, a little lazy to pull his pager out.

"It was me," She responded slowly, reading it carefully. "OB? Seriously?" She was annoyed. It was now the fourth time this week she had been paged to OB - which was not her specialty. Arizona didn't know how many times she had to remind them that. Before getting the chance to say what was on his mind, Arizona left to head up to OB and give them a piece of her mind.

"Good luck with that." Richard said as she already disappeared around the corner. "You're gonna need it." He murmured under his breath.

...

Arizona took the stairs instead of the elevator in hopes that it'll help her calm down. She was frustrated that OB couldn't get their shit together. She had other important stuff to do.

Arizona turned the corner and ran into Carina.

"Oh hi." They both said to each other simultaneously.

Arizona was just about to ask her why she was paged but Carina beat her to the punch. "Good! You got my page." She said with a smile, very happy Arizona was there.

"Oh uh," Arizona said without knowing how to follow up. She didn't want to be rude about it but she also didn't want to be with OB for the rest of the day. "What's up?" She finally said.

"I know you're not an OB but I really could use your help…" Carina said with her eyes glowing. She tried to look as innocent as possible so Arizona could help her. Since Carina was fairly new, she didn't know anyone else to call. Arizona was the first one to pop into her mind - and she felt very flattered.

"I thought maybe you could help me? Or give me some guidance?" Carina asked with kindness behind her eyes. "I haven't seen your work but if you're the same surgeon as you are a person then I am sure you can help sympathize with my patients." She added in some nice words to help convince Arizona. Carina meant every word.

Arizona gave her a shy smile. Whenever Carina complimented her, it made her feel warm all over. "Yes," she nodded, "I can help you out." Carina's face lit up with gratitude. "Oh thank you!" She said very excitedly. The last thing she wanted to do was ask Arizona for a favor, but she knew she could trust her. "I owe you." Carina said, winking at her and giving her a little smirk.

Arizona was still smiling even after Carina turned around to show her where the patients room was.

...

"I'm sorry I had to bother you." Carina apologized after they were done with the case. "I know you're not an OB and babies aren't exactly your specialty… But I didn't know who else to call." She was sincere. The last thing Carina wanted to do was bother Arizona while she was working. She knew how important her work was and knew that Arizona had no time to fool around.

Even though Arizona was very annoyed with being called to OB at first, when she realized it was for Carina she became a little less annoyed and more flattered. She felt bad that Carina felt bad for reaching out to her. "Oh please," She started, "Don't feel bad at all. You did the right thing. You called me when you needed help and now everything is solved." She took a look inside the patients room "See? They're all happy in there." She pointed to the family, smiling at the way the new parents were admiring their new little girl. "Everything is okay…" She whispered, but mainly to herself. Once again, Arizona couldn't help but smile at them.

Carina took a look inside as well, seeing exactly what Arizona was seeing. She then looked back at Arizona admiring the family. "You are incredible, you know that?" Carina couldn't help but to be mesmerized by Arizona. Regardless of only knowing her for a couple weeks, she could tell that Arizona was a genuinely kind person - something Carina wasn't so used to in her past lovers.

This woman was driving her crazy. Little did she know that the rollercoaster ride had just begun.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi everyone! I didn't realize how long it was since I last posted! Sorry again for the delay!**

**Hate to bring it up but I'm home now from school until September because of the pandemic - which means that I will have more time actually focus on writing this fanfic! I think I'm gonna end it soon because I have so much going on. But I love this story so much I hate to even think about parting with it. Anyways I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Don't forget to wash your hands! **

**Hopefully I can update soon. Follow/Fave and REVIEW!**

**xo - K**

...

It had been a whole two weeks since Carina started working at the hospital as an OBGYN which meant there wasn't much time for her to continue her research. After two weeks of not progressing in her studies, she decided that it was time to dedicate a whole day towards her research.

That was the plan, at least.

Carina knew that even though she had this all in mind, something could possibly get in the way. She got to the hospital at 9:30am to start on her research but was unfortunately interrupted by women birthing little babies. She didn't mind - after all it was her job. Once 4 o'clock hit, she decided to stay back and catch up on her work. But she lost track of time once the patients stopped coming in. Before she knew it, it was passed midnight.

_Just ten more minutes_, she thought to herself. She was really getting somewhere.

However, ten minutes turned into an hour. Carina didn't notice how late it really was until she glanced at her phone that suddenly lit up from a notification.

1:47am

_Holy shit!_ She thought to herself. She really got carried away with her research.

Carina packed up her things and made her way back home, to Arizona.

It all happened so fast. One moment she was in the hotel, and the next she wasn't. She was very happy as well as grateful that Arizona offered her a place to stay. But she was a little hesitant at first with how things were going.

Not seeing Arizona was definitely a strain on Carina. However, it made her focus more even though she was constantly thinking about her. Just knowing that running into her at the hospital was slim because of its size made Carina at ease. But now that she's living with her, it made things a little more difficult. Just the other night, Carina ran into her while on her way to the bathroom.

She was just nervous that she would slip up and make Andrew upset with her. She came all this way keeping her promise and she wasn't about to ruin it now. A woman was not worth risking family over. But the thought of Arizona becoming the woman was always stuck in the back of Carina's mind. She couldn't stop thinking about it, even on the drive home.

...

On the other side of town, Arizona had been sleeping very peacefully since 11. She decided to go to bed a little later in hopes that she would run into Carina when she came home. However, the hours kept passing and Carina had not walked through the door - so Arizona decided it was time to hit the sack.

While sleeping, Arizona had another sex dream about Carina. It was her third one this week.

Once again, Arizona woke up dazed, confused and out of breath. She couldn't shake her dreams about Carina and it was really starting to get annoying. Arizona shot up from her bed gasping for air and searched next to her, silently hoping that she wasn't dreaming and it was reality. That Carina really was lying in bed next to her.

Unfortunately, Carina wasn't next to her and she was alone.

Typically, after these dreams, Arizona couldn't fall back asleep. But tonight, she was determined to go back to sleep because she had a very important consultation the next day. She wasn't letting anything get in the way of her having a good rest. She decided to check her phone to see what time it was "1:47?!" She said out loud in shock. "Fuck." She whispered.

Earlier that day, she went to the store and bought some sleepy time tea in hopes that it would help her go back to sleep. So that's what she decided to do.

Arizona dragged herself out of bed and hoped for the best.

She went downstairs, made herself a cup of tea and took a seat the kitchen table - her back facing the front door. She wanted to take it to her room but she thought maybe sitting at the table reflecting on her life would probably tire her out. So that's what she did.

In the middle of her thinking, she heard keys rustle in the front doorknob. At first she was scared. She thought it could be an intruder. But then she remembered that she now lived with two other people who have a life of their own.

As the door opened, she quickly turned around to see who it was.

The beautiful brown hair gave it away. They both made eye contact the moment Carina set foot in the house.

"Arizona?" She said in shock, "What are you doing up at this hour?" She walked closer to her, intrigued.

"I couldn't sleep." Arizona lied, she didn't want Carina to know about her dream for very obvious reasons, "So I made myself a cup of tea." She said as she took a sip while Carina watched her every move. Arizona was always so cute even when she wasn't trying to be - or at least that's what Carina thought.

"Tea?" Carina said, taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah it's supposed to help you go to sleep."

"When I was younger, I used to struggle with uh… what's the word in English…" She looked around the room as if the answer was hidden in the walls. "Well uh, what's the word in Italian? Maybe it sounds similar in English?"

"_Insonnia"_ She said, rolling off the tongue. She missed speaking Italian all the time.

Hearing this sent chills down Arizona's back. Whenever she heard Carina talking in Italian she thought it was the most enticing thing. Before she could even respond or process what Carina had just said, she had to take a moment.

"Insomnia?" Arizona guessed. The two did sound very familiar.

Carina's eyes widened in realization, "Sí! That's the word." She said as she sat down next to Arizona. "I struggled with insomnia when I was younger. I used to spend hours and hours awake at night because I couldn't sleep. Finally one day my grandmother told me to listen to some relaxing music when I go to sleep."

"And it helped?"

"It did! I listen to music every night before going to bed. Sometimes, I even fall asleep to it."

Arizona smiled a little. Other than being naturally seductive, Carina was really kind and caring once you got to know her more. Arizona couldn't help but wonder how many other people knew this side of her.

"But I don't want to keep you up with my babbling." Carina said as she was getting up to head to bed. Even though she was tired, she still wanted to talk with Arizona. But she didn't want to intrude on her either.

"You could stay," Arizona said abruptly, "I wouldn't mind the company." It totally blew over her head that Carina could have been tired at this hour. But she didn't want to be alone - regardless of whether or not Carina was the reason for her disrupted slumber.

Carina reclaimed her seat and smiled at Arizona. She put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hands. "How was your day?" She asked.

Arizona shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Saving kids, saving fetuses." Arizona's nonchalant attitude surprised Carina. "You should be proud of that!" She said, nudging her on the shoulder. Carina wanted to let her hand linger there for a little but she didn't want to make things awkward.

"No no I am! I am…" She let it drown out for a second, trying to find her words. "I love my job and I love what I do. But sometimes it's rough. It's tough to see kids not make it and it's tough to see moms not make it but their kids do and vice versa." She mirrored Carina's manner, elbow on the kitchen table, head on her hand.

"But you have your good days." Carina said quietly, trying to find something good out of this situation. She felt bad for her, Carina had never lost a mother or a baby due to complications - nor did she ever think she was going to.

"I do." Arizona nodded and smiled at her, "I have my really good days."

"May I ask you a question?" Carina said looking a little shy. Arizona had never seen that part of her before. The Carina she knew was always so confident - or at least that's how she portrayed herself to be.

"Anything."

"Why not babies?" Carina began, she was curious to see what Arizona would say. "You perform intense surgeries on children and fetuses… but not babies. Why is that?"

Arizona could tell that Carina had been wondering this for quite sometime and she could also tell that she was genuinely intrigued.

"Well… I chose pediatrics because…" She took a deep breath, not knowing where to begin. "Because kids are magical. They believe in magic and superpowers. What kind of surgeon would I be if I didn't believe in it either? I guess that's why I lean more towards kids than anything else. They have so much more faith than adults do - so much more to live for. Not that I'm dismissing anyone's quality of life or anything… Children are just starting out. It's not fair to them if they don't get the chance to keep going. I guess that's the same way for fetuses. They've barely even started life. If I'm able to give them the chance to one day save someone else's life then I'll take that chance…"

Arizona had Carina in awe. She couldn't recall the last time she got the chance to sit down and think about her work and how much it mattered in the world. It made her feel good - made her feel better about her bad days.

"That sounds incredible." Carina said very softly. "You are incredible."

For a moment they just sat there and stared at each other. Arizona couldn't look away from Carina's beautiful brown eyes. Partly because of how mesmerizing they were and partly because she was trying to analyze her. She wanted so badly to ask her what was up between them but she didn't wanna sound crazy. Arizona was just so over dancing over the question. She wanted to know

What if there really wasn't anything between the two of them and Arizona was just making it up?

She went for it anyway.

"What's going on… with us?" She asked very shyly. The second she finished the sentence she regretted it. She never wished she could take something back so badly before.

"What do you mean?" Carina pretended to be confused, but she knew exactly what Arizona meant - because she felt the same way.

This left Arizona discouraged. She didn't want to describe what was going on in fear that she was just making it up. But she really wanted to get to the bottom of it. "I uh," She stuttered, Arizona really didn't know how to continue from there, "You know, never mind." She didn't want to embarrass herself anymore so she got up to leave.

"Have a goodnight." Arizona said to her. She smiled even though she didn't feel like it. She was upset, but the last thing she wanted was for Carina to think she was upset last her.

Carina could tell that she had done something wrong though. "Wait," She said, grabbing Arizona's wrist just before she turned the corner to go upstairs. "I didn't mean to upset you." She held onto Arizona's hand and looked into her eyes. Carina was ready to tell her what was really going on.

In that moment, she didn't couldn't even think about any promise to Andrew or any possibility that their relationship might be ruined. She just wanted to be with Arizona.

So she kissed her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi my people! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy! I'm posting this now because I'm bored and have nothing else to do. Currently almost done with chapter 13 but I'm not quite sure where I'm going with the story of that. I have plenty of time to figure it out lol. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this chapter! My favorite one! **

**Don't forget to follow, fave and REVIEW!**

**xo - K**

So she kissed her.

Carina wanted to break it apart for a second just to explain everything - but it felt too good to stop. All that pent up energy that they were both holding in was suddenly being released right then. They were both hungry for the other. Before they knew it, both of their tongues were in each others mouths.

With their eyes closed and lips still on each other, Carina let her hand linger down to the waistband of Arizona's pants. She wanted to undo them but she thought it was too soon. Instead, she let her hand slip up Arizona's shirt, touching her bare stomach.

Soon enough, the two of them needed to catch their breaths.

The two of them broke apart, Arizona rested her forehead on Carina's for a second before she looked into her eyes.

"I uh…" Arizona tried to find words, but none of them were coming out. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't help but smile though. Arizona was filled with so many emotions and joy was the most powerful and evident one of them all.

If Arizona was feeling any doubt, it was surely washed away with that kiss.

"I knew what you meant a second ago when you asked what was going on. I just didn't think that we were on the same page…" Carina said. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared that Arizona didn't feel the same way about her. But after this kiss, she knew that that was not the case. Afraid of sounding corny, Arizona resisted talking and went in to kiss her again. This time, she kissed her with more passion than before.

Even though it was only the second time they touched lips, it felt like they had been doing it for their whole life. They both fit like a puzzle piece together that had been jammed different ways for too long now. It felt right.

Arizona didn't realize how tense she was until Carina made a trail of kisses down to her neck. She gave in and leaned her head back, giving her more room.

"Carina…" Arizona let out, in an attempt to get her to stop even though she didn't want her to.

Arizona wanted nothing more than to take Carina upstairs and just ravish her for the rest of the night. But she knew it would be wrong to do so. She wanted more than just sex with her and she was afraid that Carina didn't want the same.

When Carina stopped kissing her, it caused Arizona to feel a little empty again.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, very close to Arizona's mouth.

"Yeah, I just…" She began to second guess herself. Should they just keep going? Arizona's dreams were literally coming true right in front of her - and she was about to stop them! For the past couple weeks this is all she had been thinking about, but she couldn't go through with it. She wanted something more with her but she was too scared to admit it.

"I want more than just this."

Carina took a step back, looking more into her eyes.

"And it's okay if you don't. I just, I need to know so I don't get my feelings hurt." She was proud of herself for being able to finally come to terms with it. Arizona was putting herself first and she knew it was the right thing - but she wanted to be with Carina so badly.

Carina could tell that Arizona's mind was racing. She kissed her to help her understand that that's what she wanted as well.

She broke the kiss. "I do too." She said, looking into her eyes. "Even from the moment I met you, I knew I wanted more than this too."

They both smiled at each other - more than happy that they both felt the same way.

The two spent the next couple of minutes ravishing each other. It wasn't until Carina heard a noise coming from upstairs did she come to the realization of what was going on. She promised Andrew and Carina is not someone who breaks her promises.

She had one of two choices.

To disregard all that she stood for and keep being with Arizona physically, or to stop and respect Andrew's wishes. She didn't know what to do. On one hand, she couldn't stop thinking about Arizona the minute she met her - things were finally picking up. Then, on the other hand, she didn't want to disappoint her brother. While all of this was running through her head, she kept her contact with Arizona. She literally could not stop - even if she wanted to.

But she had to.

She pulled away from Arizona, causing her to frown a little bit. "I have something to tell you…" Carina sounded mysterious. But by the look on her face and the way her voice was shaking a little, Arizona knew that it could not be good news. "What's wrong?" She said with nerves building up in her stomach. Everything was going so well. She didn't know what happened.

Their faces were still only centimeters apart as they were looking into each other eyes. Carina, trying to find a way to sum up the courage to tell her and Arizona trying to find the answer as to why they stopped kissing.

"Did I do something wrong?" Arizona finally said, a little tired of the silence.

"No!" Carina said, shooting that possibility down as soon as she could. "Not at all…"

"Are you okay?" Arizona asked trying to figure out what was going on.

Carina looked at her for a moment and realized that it was all so silly. She shouldn't let her brother dictate who she wanted to be with. Plus, it's not like this would be a one night stand. They both said it themselves, they were in it for the long haul.

She began to form a soft smile on her lips, "I'm more than okay," She said, closing the gap between them. "I'm with you."

They spent the rest of the night together, getting to know the other - physically this time. Both Carina and Arizona were surprised as to how intimate their first time had been together considering they did not know the other all that well. Sure, they had been vulnerable in front of the other - but this was different. The whole time they were together, they weren't focused on anything else other than living in the moment. It was like everything in the world was good and the problems in both of their lives faded for the time they were at one.

It sounded kind go cheesy to Arizona, but Carina might have been the best sex she had ever had - and she wasn't afraid to admit it either.

The next day, Arizona woke up to the feeling of someone's fingertips sliding up and down her back. At first, she thought she was dreaming. It had been so long since she had been with someone like that and she was beginning to think it wasn't real. When she realized that the feeling was in fact real, she smiled - hard.

She smiled even harder when she realized that it was Carina who was lying right next to her in the same bed.

She couldn't believe it.

After basically a whole month of confusion and all these other types of feelings that she hadn't felt in so long, it finally happened.

As her eyes were still closed, she rolled over and gave Carina a good morning smile. The sun was too bright and it caused her to keep them closed. Nonetheless, Arizona knew that Carina still looked as beautiful in the morning compared to the night. Carina was just a beautiful woman all around.

"Good morning…" Arizona finally let out, slowly opening her eyes.

Carina let out a little chuckle and said "Buongiorno"

"Last night was…" Arizona had to pause, trying to find the words. She couldn't think about anything else than what happened the night before. She didn't wanna make it weird in fear of embarrassment.

"I know." Carina responded. Even though she didn't know exactly what Arizona was going to say, she knew the basis of it. For the both of them, last night was something highly anticipated. Neither of them thought that they were ever going to be together let alone even address the feelings either one of them had been feeling for weeks. It was like coming up for a breath of fresh air. A breath that both of them were holding in for two long.

Arizona glanced at the clock to see what time it was. She had to be at work in two hours.

Even the slightest thought of work made her not want to go. She wanted to stay in bed with Carina forever. She felt like the second she had something, she had to let it go.

But it was only temporary. She knew that once she came back home, Carina would be there waiting for her - or even vice versa. The more she thought about it, the more she didn't mind leaving. As long as they both got to be back in that same position in her bed again that night, she didn't care. She just wanted the hours at work to fly by.

However, Arizona knew that something had to be said about their whole ordeal. Even though they spoke about it for a brief second last night, she wanted to make it clear that she wanted more than just sex. She wanted to be with Carina for a really long time - and hopefully, if the time was right, permanently.

Carina could tell that Arizona's mind was spinning because she hadn't said anything to her in the last couple of minutes. She knew exactly what Arizona was thinking because Carina thought about it just moments before Arizona woke up.

"I meant what I said last night." Carina said, breaking the silence. "I don't want this to just be a one time thing. I really do want to be with you Arizona."

Instead of responding, Arizona kissed her instead - both of them disregarding their morning breath. Arizona broke it apart for a second just to say "I do too." She smiled as she placed her lips back on Carina's. The last couple of hours were nothing short of amazing. Neither of them wanted to get up and face reality.

Arizona was the one to make the first move. She departed her lips from Carina's and said, "What do you think of just ditching today and spending the rest of the day right here?" Even though she knew that this was not a reason to call in sick, she asked anyway.

Carina couldn't help but laugh because she wanted to ask the same thing.

"I would love that," Carina began, giving Arizona a glimpse of hope that her plans were going to be executed. "But, you have patients to see and I have my research to continue."

Arizona playfully rolled her eyes and went along with it. She got up to get ready for the day. She suddenly felt something tugging at her hand. She looked back and saw Carina sprawled out, looking even sexier in the morning glow.

"You have a little time before you have to leave, don't you?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! Sorry this took so long! I posted chapter 12 before I even was done with chapter 13 - I'm posting this one even before I start the next one so it probably won't be a while. I was debating on ending it here but there are a couple things left unsaid here and I don't wanna leave you guys hanging (if there's anyone actually reading this lol. Anyways! Stay safe and wash your hands!**

**Don't forget to follow/fave and please please please review!**

**xo - K**

Arizona couldn't wipe the smile off of her face for the rest of the day - and it was more than noticeable.

She was smiling as she was filling out papers, smiling as she walked down the hall for her consultations and smiling while looking down at her phone screen texting Carina. There was nothing that could bring her down today. Arizona finally felt like she was alive again.

It wasn't until Webber approached her did she finally realize how long she'd been smiling. "Does your face hurt?" He said, coming from behind her. "I've been watching you all day with that same smile on your face and I swear it has not moved once."

Arizona gave him a playful slap on the arm. "I know right! I like this new me." She caught him off guard, he was expecting her to come up with a sarcastic comment. "You know, I don't remember the last time I felt this relaxed." "Your face says otherwise."

"I'm happy Richard, the normal thing to do for a friend is to be happy for them." Arizona kept typing up her reports, not phasing her.

"I am happy for you. But I would be more happy for you if I knew what I was causing all of this…" He said as he gestured to her face and aura. His face hit a pause once he put two and two together. She was happy - extremely happy - the type of happiness that couldn't be taken away so easily. Neither of them really could not remember the last time she looked this happy.

"No…" He was shocked. He didn't think it would happen so quickly. "Really?"

Arizona gave him a smirk and a little bit of a side eye. "Yes!" She said, not being able to hold it in. "It was wonderful. Genuinely." She continued to type away at the screen, but she couldn't form any clear coherent thoughts. Just the thought of going back to Carina tonight made Arizona even more thrilled than before - if that was even possible.

She was on cloud nine and nothing could stop her.

…..

On the completely opposite side of the hospital, Carina DeLuca was feeling a different way. Make no mistake, she loved the feeling of finally being with Arizona. After weeks of anticipation and self-doubt, Carina finally got what she wanted.

But that was exactly it. Whatever she wanted, just so happened to be the very opposite of what her brother did. Even though Andrew said it would be a good idea to move in, he never said anything about his approval for Arizona.

Even though Carina was older, Andrew was all she had. Whenever they made big decisions, they always spoke to each other about it. Although she has never asked for his blessing, she did seek for it from time to time.

Her relationships was one of them.

Andrew was the first person that Carina came out to about her sexuality. She was the most comfortable with him and she knew he would understand better than anyone else - she was right. Andrew was more than supportive.

Which is why she didn't want to have to tell her brother that she broke the promise the two made from the very beginning. But, to be fair, this was way before she knew Arizona was his roommate. She wasn't planning on forming any relationships while she was here. Carina told herself that it was strictly business.

But, feelings are feelings and cannot be controlled.

Carina had to tell Andrew - preferably sooner rather than later. She was afraid that if they kept this a secret for too long, he would be more upset when he found out. She could feel her ankle shaking from anxiety. As soon as she got rid through one obstacle, she ran right into another.

This morning, before they both left for work, her and Arizona spoke briefly about their relationship. Even though they both agreed that what they wanted was permanence, a little inkling in Carina's stomach thought otherwise. What if she told Andrew that they were serious, and it turned out to be the opposite? Then she would have worried him for nothing. But what if they both meant it?

Then she would really have to talk to Andrew.

Her mind raced back and forth like this for the next half hour.

This is gonna be a long day, she thought to herself. But at least I have Arizona to come home to.

…..

Later that night, Carina and Arizona spent the rest of the day in bed - naked. From the moment they both got home, they began to ravish each other. It was like they were making up for lost time.

Once the night festivities were done, it was time to have a serious talk.

Arizona let go and let her body relax on Carina's chest, listening to the sound of her resting heart beat. She couldn't help but smile again, happy that this moment was happening.

Carina, however, was silent from worry. She had to tell Arizona that they had to keep their relationship on the down low for a little until she told Andrew. But she didn't want her to get the wrong idea and think she didn't want to tell him at all. She just wanted this whole situation to disappear - but she knew that that wasn't a possibility.

"I have to tell you something." Carina said, in a very serious voice that made Arizona think the worst. Her heart stopped beating for a little. She was too scared to hear the rest of what Carina had to say. She played it calm though. She didn't want Carina thinking that she was too invested into this relationship that they've established the day before.

But she didn't have to say anything in order for Carina to get the hint. She was scared - and she couldn't hide it.

"It's nothing to worry about!" She tried to lighten the mood, but she didn't know how Arizona would be after she told her the news. "It's just that, Andrea can't know about us - at least not yet." Carina had to blurt it out, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She knew it wasn't bad news but she was still concerned with how Arizona might feel.

The sigh of relief that came from Arizona soon ended with a small frown of confusion.

"What?" Every scenario was running through her brain - some where rational, some were very irrational. Finally, Arizona decided to blurt out one. "Are you.. Are you still in the closet?" She asked, very unsure if that should be the question she asked. Seeing as how confident Carina was, it seemed very out of character for her to hide her sexuality. However, it was very much the answer she wanted. Being lesbian was something that could easily be explained.

Carina hesitated to answer. She could see the look on Arizona's face, proving that that was all she wanted to hear from her.

"No, actually, I came out to him when I was 16 and he was 13." She confessed. It was a long time ago, but their relationship had grown since then. "And I know that hiding a relationship is concerning and not something that adults do but I just, I just need to explain myself…" She waited until Arizona gave her an answer,

She nodded her head, signaling her to keep going.

"I haven't been the best at relationships…" Her voice lingered off. She didn't want to continue because it was embarrassing. She was young and stupid, who cared how many people she was with? But she had to say it - even if Arizona cared, it was still the truth. "When you're young, it's like - who really cares? You fool around a bunch of times and it feels like um uh…" She was trying to find a way to describe it in English, but she wasn't very good at that yet.

"Like the time of your life?" Arizona said, finishing for her.

They both smiled at each other. Arizona loved being able to steal the words right from her mouth.

"Esattamente!" She planted a kiss on Arizona's lips, she was irresistible. "Exactly…" Carina said pulling away.

"I was having the time of my life and before I knew it, I wasn't in my twenties anymore. I had to start growing up. It was hard. I had no clue as to what I was doing because for so many years I was never really serious with anyone - and Andrew, he knew that…" This next part is where it starts to get hard for Carina.

The confident, sexy and intelligent woman hid her true embarrassment for herself.

"When I got to my thirties I told myself that this is where it has to get serious. I knew I didn't need a man or a woman to define me and my work so I didn't try to look for that. I didn't really know what a connection was." But she did now. Meeting Arizona made Carina realize how wonderful of a feeling it was to be with someone you connected to on all levels and not just physically.

She choked up a little bit, scared to admit the next part. Arizona took Carina's hand in hers and kissed it, showing her the support she really needed.

"No relationship that I've ever been in has gone past six months…" But that wasn't it. There was more, and Arizona could tell. "Andrea did not want me to get emotionally involved with you because last time I was in a relationship with his friends it really did not go so well. It's silly that I'm making a big deal of this but, it is something that haunts me a lot…" She didn't want to go into detail and Arizona respected that. She could tell that Carina was having a tough time already.

"And aside from my promise with Andrea…" This part was hard to say, she didn't want Arizona to think that she was insane, but she couldn't help feeling this way. "I know that what I'm feeling right now isn't something to even be worried about but I can't stop thinking about it." She was scared to admit it not only because hearing herself say it would mean she fully admitted it, but she would be scared that Arizona thought she was soft - which is something that Carina DeLuca definitely was not. "I'm scared that this history is going to repeat itself where one day, I wake up and you're not there lying next to me…"

She lingered off, basically wishing to go back in time and not have to admit it.

It was pathetic. Carina was nearing her forties and she had not yet been in a serious relationship with a man nor a woman. But she could feel it now that her and Arizona would last for a while. It frightened her that she had only known the beautiful blonde for a little over a month and she had already been feeling this way.

Was this normal?

Carina obviously did not have the answer.

Arizona pulled Carina into her arms and kissed her on her forehead. She pulled her in close, but made sure they could still make eye contact. She could see the tears fill up in Carina's eyes - fighting really hard to not let them fall down.

"Hey…" Arizona calmly whispered, trying to let Carina know that she wasn't in the slightest bit upset with her, "It's okay." She rubbed her arms up and down to make sure she knew she was still there. "We don't have to worry about that now. But what your feels are valid and it's okay to feel that way." Arizona was so comforting, it wasn't something that Carina was used to - it helped to assure her that maybe this was something that could last longer than her normal relationships.

Carina could only hope.


End file.
